Herb · Apiaceae
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Tuck the seed in once, leave the taproot undisturbed, and anise thanks you with fragrant seed after a long warm summer.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
50–86°F · 10–30°C
100–120 days
Overview
Anise gives you that warm, licorice-sweet note that turns up in bread, cookies, and liqueurs, and it grows as a soft little annual in the carrot family right alongside dill and fennel. Its home is the eastern Mediterranean and the Levant, where long warm seasons keep it happy. You grow it mainly for the seed, the aniseed of the spice jar, but the lacy young leaves earn their place in the kitchen too.
It is an easygoing size, rising only 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm), with feathery lower leaves and flat white flower heads that open in mid-summer. Once the blooms fade, the seed forms and dries to a soft gray-brown, your cue to harvest. Brush past the plant and the whole thing breathes out that lovely anise scent.
The one thing worth knowing is that anise would simply rather not be moved. It sends down a taproot that resents any disturbance, so you sow it where it will live and leave it be. Give it sun, warmth, and a long enough season, and it gets on with very little fuss, even for a first try.
Care
The short version: give it full sun, light well-drained soil, and steady moisture while it finds its feet. Sow the seed straight into the ground after frost, feed it lightly, and let a long warm season ripen the seed for you.
Light
Anise wants full sun, and more is always better. A bright, open spot helps the seed ripen and keeps the soft stems from reaching, while a shady corner leaves you with weak plants and a thin crop.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist as the seed sprouts and through any dry spell. Once it is settled, the plant shrugs off short dry patches, but soggy ground will rot the roots, so let well-drained soil quietly do the work for you.
Soil
Set it in light, well-drained loam with a little compost mixed through. A pH of 6.0 and 7.0 suits it, leaning neutral, and loose ground lets the taproot slip straight down with room to spare.
Temperature
Anise is comfortable across 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C) and leans toward the warm end. It wants a long, mild stretch to ripen seed, so chilly, short summers can leave the crop green and unfinished.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity of 40% to 60% is plenty, and it really isn't a number to lose sleep over. Good airflow matters far more, since crowded, damp leaves are where aphids and rot like to gather.
Feeding
Anise is a light feeder, so work in a little compost or a balanced fertilizer just once before sowing and leave it at that. Too much nitrogen only gives you soft, floppy stems that tip over as the seed heads grow heavy.
Pruning
There is very little asked of you. Pinch young plants once to coax them bushier, but never transplant, since the taproot truly resents the move. Leave the flower heads in peace so the seed can finish ripening.
Repotting
Anise was never meant for a pot. It is direct-sown as an annual and lives in the ground, so there is no repotting and no roots to coil. Sow it in its forever spot and let it round out the season there.
Size & spacing
Each plant reaches 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) tall with a slender spread of 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). Give each one that bit of elbow room, or sow them in a snug block so the stems can lean on each other for company.
When to plant
Anise loves warmth and needs a long, easy run to ripen, so it waits to go out until the last frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Sow it in place in late spring, look for white flower heads in mid-summer, and gather the seed once it dries to gray-brown in late summer or fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Generally avoided; the taproot resents transplanting, so direct sowing is preferred
- Plant: After the last frost once soil is warm (about 60°F); needs roughly 120 frost-free days to ripen seed
- Harvest: White flower umbels appear in mid-summer; harvest seed when ripe and gray-brown in late summer to fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–11
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Anise is a forgiving plant that rarely lands in real trouble, so try not to fret. Most hiccups show on the foliage or the seed heads, and most come down to a season cut short or soil grown too rich. Find what matches below, step in early, and you will be fine.
Seed still soft and green as the cold sets in
Don't worry, this simply means anise ran out of warm days, since a short or cool season keeps the heads soft and green. Next time, get the seed in as soon as it is safe after frost and pick the brightest, warmest corner you have. A row cover is a friendly helper that gives back some of the warmth a cool summer takes.
Fix:
- Plant as early as safely possible after last frost
- Grow in the warmest, sunniest available site
- Use row covers to extend warmth
Soft little bugs and a sticky shine on the leaves
Take heart, this is just aphids, and the sticky gloss is the honeydew they leave behind. Turn a few leaves over to find the colonies tucked underneath, then rinse them away with a firm spray of water. Should they wander back, a little insecticidal soap and a lighter hand with nitrogen will set things right.
Fix:
- Dislodge with a strong jet of water
- Apply insecticidal soap if needed
Tall stems sagging once the seed heads fill
This is lodging, an easy fix, and it happens when the heavy umbels catch a gust of wind. Rich soil and tight spacing nudge it along by growing soft, leggy stems. A few small stakes will steady them, or you can sow the plants close together so they can lean on one another.
Fix:
- Provide light staking or grow in blocks for mutual support
Toxicity
You can breathe easy here: anise is a kitchen herb and sits well with pets, livestock, and people alike. It is not on the ASPCA's toxic list, and the seed is even used to coax and reward dogs in training. Only the concentrated essential oil wants care, so keep that tucked out of reach. Do remember this is true anise, not the unrelated star anise.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
You can relax here, since the ASPCA does not count anise among plants toxic to cats. A taste of the soft, feathery leaves will do no harm, though a big helping of any new green might leave a cat with a slightly unsettled tummy.
Dogs Safe
Dogs are perfectly fine around anise, and trainers even reach for the seed as a scent reward. A curious chew on the plant itself carries no danger at all.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze beside anise without a care. None of the toxins that worry owners around other garden plants are present here.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit can nibble the lacy foliage and come to no harm. Just keep the helping modest, the way you would with any treat, and offer it next to their usual hay and greens.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep are all safe near anise, and the herb has been welcomed for ages as fodder and a gentle way to flavor milk.
Birds Safe
Birds come to no harm from the seed or foliage, and you may find many of them happily pecking the ripe heads right in the garden.
People Safe
Anise belongs in the kitchen, plain and simple. The leaves and seed end up in everything from bread to liqueurs, and it is only the concentrated essential oil that asks for a gentle, careful hand.
Foliage and seed are non-toxic, but concentrated anise essential oil should still be kept away from pets.
Varieties
There isn't a long list to puzzle over with anise. It is grown almost entirely as the plain species, so really your only job is to be sure you have the right plant in hand.
Common anise (species type)
Nearly every anise you meet is the plain unimproved species, since named cultivars are scarce, and the one thing to watch is never mixing it up with the unrelated star anise.
How to propagate
Anise grows from seed and nothing else, and it asks to be sown right where it will stay. The gentle art of it is waiting for the warm soil it wants and resisting the urge to shift the seedlings once they appear.
SeedModerate
Direct sow after the last frost once soil has warmed · Germinates in about 1 to 2 weeks; reaches seed maturity in roughly 100 to 120 days
Seed is the only way to grow anise, and it goes straight into its final home because the taproot will not forgive being moved. Hold off until frost has gone and the soil feels warm, then settle the seed in place, and the little sprouts greet you in 1 to 2 weeks. An overnight soak gives them a friendly head start. After that, the plant needs 100 to 120 days to bring its seed to ripeness, so the earlier you begin, the better.
Myths
Anise and star anise are simply the same spice.
The taste is the only thing they truly share, and that comes from a compound called anethole. True anise is Pimpinella anisum in the carrot family, a tender annual herb, while star anise is Illicium verum, a woody tree from a wholly different family. They cannot stand in for each other.
Anise moves and replants as easily as other herbs.
Anise puts down a deep taproot that dislikes being shifted, and a disturbed seedling tends to sulk or give up. Sow the seed right where you want the plant to grow rather than raising it in cells and moving it on.