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Dill
Anethum graveolens
Dill blooms from June through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Dill
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–11. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 1 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Dill
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Dill into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from June to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Dill get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1 ftwideSee Dill in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Dill
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Dill about 1 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Dill to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Dill's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 4 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Penn State Extensionheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extensionheight, sun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Dill
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Uneven watering and heat make dill bolt: it throws a flower stalk and stops making tender leaves. Steady, consistent moisture keeps it in leaf far longer. per NC State
Is dill frost-hardy?
Minnesota calls dill tender: sow after spring frost. Penn State and Wisconsin call it cool-season, taking light frost and sown before the last frost, but not a hard freeze. per Minnesota and Penn State
Direct-sow; do not transplant
Dill grows one long taproot, like a carrot, so it hates being moved. Sow it right where it will grow and barely cover the seed, since light helps germination. per NC State
Feeds swallowtails and beneficial insects
Its foliage feeds black swallowtail caterpillars, and its flowers feed parasitic wasps and hoverflies whose young eat aphids, dill's own main pest. Let some plants flower. per NC State and New Mexico State
Deer resistant
Deer tend to leave dill alone: the aromatic essential oils in its foliage make it unappealing. Resistance is not immunity, so very hungry deer may still sample it. per NC State and Wisconsin
Deadly wild lookalikes
Garden dill is safe, but its carrot family includes deadly poison hemlock and water hemlock, which share its feathery leaves and umbels. Never eat a wild umbellifer on looks alone. per Iowa State
What pairs well with Dill
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Aster
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Wisteria
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; purple against yellow, for contrast.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; stands well above at 20 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Autumn Crocus
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Lilac
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 10 ft, for the layer behind it.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.