Does Parsley Flower?

Life Cycle

• Parsley is a biennial herb, meaning that if left undisturbed it will live for two years. In its first year, the plant produces only foliage, used by gardeners for garnish and flavor. In USDA zones 5 to 9, parsley will grow another year if you don't pull it from the garden in autumn. Second-year parsley produces thick stalks that produce tiny clusters of greenish flowers growing in a flat disk. These flowering stalks can be removed to encourage more palatable leaves and stems, or left alone for ornamental and environmental applications.

Flowering Advantages

• Flat-topped flowers, like those of the parsley plant, are prized in organic gardens. Plants, like parsley, dill and Queen Ann's lace, which all bear tiny clusters of flowers growing in an umbrella shape, attract beneficial insects. These insects, including ladybugs, lacewings and parasitic wasps, feed on the kind of insect pests that cause problems with ornamental and edible crops. If aphids, caterpillars, potato beetles and other plant-chompers are a problem in your garden, grow flowering parsley to attract the "good bugs" that help control infestations.

Flowering Disadvantages

• From a culinary standpoint, the flowering phase of parsley is undesirable. This second-year stage results in bitter leaves and tough stems. In kitchen gardens, parsley is pulled up at the end of its first year and reseeded the following year to ensure lush, edible leaves and stems. Flowering parsley also can become something of a nuisance in meticulously-planned gardens, because the flowers set seeds that may settle themselves throughout the garden. Although parsley seed germination is on the low side, several free-flowering plants potentially can cause problems the following year.

Care

• Because parsley germination is unpredictable, it's best to start more plants than you think you will need indoors, or buy seedlings from a nursery. Parsley can go into the outdoor garden about three weeks before the last average frost date in your area. Grow parsley in full sun or dappled shade. The fairly fuss-free plant doesn't need fertilized soil or feeding during its growing season, but it does require evenly moist soil. Regular watering and a 2-inch layer of mulch helps deliver the moisture the herb appreciates. To harvest parsley leaves, cut the outer foliage throughout the growing season, always leaving interior sections to come to maturity. Parsley tolerates frost, so continue to harvest it through autumn. At the end of the growing season, either pull the entire plant from the ground -- if you're growing it primarily as a culinary herb -- or allow it to stay in the garden for another season.