How to Grow Rue
Rue At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -23°C
Plant Family
Rutaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Rue is hardy, so sow it about 2 weeks before your last spring frost. Press the seeds onto the soil and barely cover them (0.5 cm at most), keep the surface damp, and be patient: they take 10 to 28 days to sprout. Thin them (pull the extras so each has room) to 45 cm apart, wearing gloves.
Rue is a tough, blue-grey shrubby plant that comes back every year and thrives on neglect. Its sap can cause painful, blistering burns on skin that then sits in the sun, so always wear gloves and long sleeves when you touch it.
When To Start
Rue needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Rue?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Rue Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Rue Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow rue seeds outdoors and barely cover them
2 weeks before your last frost
Optional: start rue indoors for bigger first year plants
6 weeks before your last frost· optional
Plant rue seedlings out, wearing gloves
Around your last frost· optional
Trim rue in early spring, wearing gloves and long sleeves
1 week before your last frost· every year
Did you water your rue seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your rue is on its way! Wear gloves when you handle it, since the sap can irritate skin in sunlight.
About 30 days after you plant it
Rue loves sun and well-drained soil, so go easy on the water once it is established.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Rue's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 10–28 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow rue in full sun, at least 6 hours a day.
- 2It does best in poor, gritty soil that drains well, so skip the compost.
- 3Water young plants until they settle in, then only in long dry spells.
- 4Skip feeding, since rich soil makes floppy, short-lived plants.
- 5Its sap burns skin in sunlight, so wear gloves and long sleeves whenever you touch it, and keep children and pets from chewing it, since it is poisonous if eaten.
- 6Green caterpillars with black stripes and yellow dots on rue are young swallowtail butterflies, so leave them be if you can spare a few leaves.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
45 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
When to Pick
Mostly ornamental; handle only with gloves
How to Harvest
- 1Rue is grown for its blue-grey leaves and small yellow flowers, not as food.
- 2In early spring, put on gloves and long sleeves and trim the plant back by about a third to keep it bushy.
- 3Snip off flower heads after they fade if you do not want seedlings, or leave them for seed.
- 4Wash your gloves and any skin that touched the plant before going out in the sun.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Rue grows true from seed and does not cross with other garden plants. Leave a few flower heads on the plant until the small round seed pods turn brown and dry. Wearing gloves and long sleeves, cut them into a paper bag and shake out the dark seeds. Store them in a labelled envelope somewhere cool, dark and dry, where they keep a few years.
Seed Production
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