🍃 Katamen Shiso

What it looks like

Why this variety

Katamen Shiso is the shiso for gardeners who want a conversation piece: the bicolor form of Perilla frutescens var. crispa, called katamen-jiso in Japan, with leaves green on the upper side and red on the underside — two colors on one leaf, green when you look down at the plant and red when the wind lifts a leaf or you flip one over. It is edible like other shiso, with a flavor between green and red forms, and it is ornamental enough to plant in a flower border, where its two-faced leaves catch the eye in a way no single-color shiso can. If you want shiso that is also a garden showpiece, Katamen Shiso is the one to plant.

The trade-off is the same as all shiso, with one extra: Katamen Shiso self-seeds freely, and its seedlings vary — bicolor plants do not always come true from seed, so buy plants or save seed from the most strongly bicolor plants if you want the trait to persist. Give it sun to part shade, moist rich soil, and steady water, pinch tips to keep it bushy, and pick leaves often. Keep it away from livestock, as with all perilla, and deadhead before seed if it is near wild areas. Katamen Shiso is a bicolor curiosity with a kitchen job, and that combination is rarer than it should be.

If you are new to choosing between cultivars, the Varieties Matter guide explains why the name after the plant matters as much as the plant itself. Katamen Shiso is a perfect example: it is not just a shiso in the abstract, it is a shiso with a specific job, a specific history, and specific strengths.

Florida honesty: shiso is a genuine Florida annual, and Katamen Shiso grows statewide as a warm-season herb, loving heat and humidity and self-seeding freely. Plant in spring after frost danger, in sun to part shade with moist, rich soil, water steadily, and pick leaves often for fresh use. In Central and South Florida, it grows nearly year-round until a cold snap. Deadhead before seed if it is near natural land, and plant it where its two-faced leaves can be seen — along a path, not hidden in a back bed — because a bicolor leaf hidden is a bicolor leaf wasted.

How to grow

Plant in spring, after frost danger, in full sun to part shade and moist, rich soil — shiso wants warmth, moisture, and room to branch, and it punishes drought and deep shade with thin, bitter leaves. Work worm castings into the bed at planting, space 12 to 18 inches apart, mulch lightly to hold moisture, and pinch tips early to keep plants bushy. Sow seed where it will grow or transplant seedlings after frost; shiso grows fast in warm weather and will self-seed, so site it where volunteers are welcome or deadhead before seed.

Set plants 12-18 inches apart in soil with a pH around 6.0-7.0. Work worm castings into the bed at planting and mulch to hold moisture. A well-fed shiso plant rewards that care directly: steadier growth, better bloom, and a show that actually shows up.

Water & feeding

Keep soil evenly moist through the growing season — shiso wants steady moisture and regular feeding, and it wilts fast in dry soil. Water at the soil line, mulch lightly, and feed moderately: castings at planting plus a balanced liquid feed every few weeks keeps leaves coming. In a container, water when the top inch dries, because pots dry fast in summer heat, and do not let a young plant bake dry. In winter, shiso dies at frost; save seed or take cuttings before cold weather if you want it again next year.

Common problems

• Self-seeding everywhere — shiso sows itself freely and can naturalize; deadhead before seed ripens if you do not want volunteers, and never plant it near wild areas.
• Wilting in dry soil — shiso wilts fast in drought; water deeply in dry spells, and do not let a young plant dry out.
• Toxicity to livestock — perilla is toxic to cattle and some animals; keep it away from pastures and livestock, and enjoy it yourself, as humans do.
• Bitter, tough leaves on old growth — shiso leaves turn bitter with age and flowering; pinch tips often and pick young leaves for the best flavor.
• Flea beetles and slugs on young plants — hand-pick at dusk, and keep seedlings watered and vigorous, because a stressed shiso is a chewed shiso.

Harvest

Pick leaves from summer until frost, when leaves are young and tender — shiso leaves are the harvest, and picking often is the care program. Snip outer leaves for sushi, salads, wraps, and tempura if green, or for pickling and coloring if red, and pinch flower spikes to prolong leaf production. Flower spikes themselves are edible as a garnish in Japanese cooking, and seed can be saved for next year — or left to self-seed, which shiso will do with enthusiasm. Cut plants back hard if they get leggy, and compost spent plants after frost, after saving seed if you want the same form again.

Saving seeds

Katamen Shiso is the shiso for gardeners who want a conversation piece, the bicolor form of Perilla frutescens var. crispa, green on the upper side and red on the underside, and bicolor plants do not always come true from seed — buy plants, or save seed only from the most strongly bicolor plants if you want the trait to persist. The Saving seeds section of the Shiso guide covers seed for the species generally.