HELIOTROPE Heliotropium arborescens It was nicknamed the "cherry pie plant" because its fragrance supposedly resembles the aroma of a freshly baked cherry pie. Sweet scented violet-blue flowers are favorites as potplants or outdoor bedding plants. Cultivated for perfumery and for scenting bathing waters. Has been used for "clergyman's sore throat."
Tiny, star-shaped flowers of deep blue, purple, lavender, or white come in tightly packed spikes that develop into rounded, 2- to 4-inch-diameter clusters. Hairy and veined 1- to 3-inch leaves have a purplish cast. All parts of the plant are toxic.
Common heliotrope is a tender perennial. In a pot in a northern garden, the plant is only hardy to about 40 o F. If you live where winter temperatures regularly fall (and hold) below 32 o F, such as zone 9b and colder, treat heliotrope as you would an annual
TENDER PERENNIAL
Heliotrope in the garden with lavender and santolina
