Heliotropium arborescens - Heliotrope
Heliotropium arborescens is a fragrant tender shrub. Thomas Jefferson introduced the Heliotrope while he was an ambassador to France. He noted the fragrance and treated it as an annual. Heliotrope is particularly fragrant and well worth the trouble to use it as an annual where the climate is not accommodating. Heliotropium arborescens can be planted in full sun near the coast but prefers some protection inland. Heliotrope will do quite well in the banana belt sections of the inland valleys. Heliotropium arborescens will look best when trimmed several leaf nodes below the spent flowers. Regular trimming helps the aesthetics a lot and doesn't take long. Plants are hardy into the high 20's. Regular water and decent drainage are a requirement. The purple flowers of Heliotropium arborescens will provide nectar for the California Common Ringlet and Sara Orangetip butterflies if they are around.
Flowers and foliage of Heliotropium arborescens - Heliotrope. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
Other plants from the Heliotropium Genus featured on this site:
Heliotropium arborescens alba
Heliotropium Black Beauty
Heliotropium curassavicum