California Gardens - The Year Round Gardening Site

Heliotropium arborescens alba - White Heliotrope

Heliotropium arborescens alba is a fragrant frost tender shrub. Thomas Jefferson introduced Heliotropium arborescens while he was an ambassador to France. He noted the fragrance of the white flowers and treated it as an annual. White Heliotrope is particularly fragrant and well worth the trouble to use it as an annual where the climate is not accommodating. Heliotropium arborescens alba can be planted in full sun near the coast but prefers some protection inland. White Heliotrope will do quite well in the banana belt sections of the inland valleys. Heliotropium arborescens alba will look best with the spent flowers removed. Trim Heliotropium arborescens alba several leaf nodes below the flowers. Regular trimming helps the aesthetics a lot and doesn't take long. The White Heliotrope is hardy into the high 20's. Regular water and decent drainage are a requirement. The Sara Orangetip and California Common Ringlet will periodically drop by for some nectar.

Heliotropium arborescens alba, White Heliotrope

Flowers and foliage of Heliotropium arborescens alba - White Heliotrope. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.

Other plants from the Heliotropium Genus featured on this site:
Heliotropium arborescens
Heliotropium Black Beauty
Heliotropium curassavicum