Description
Heliotrope is grown as an annual. The cultivated varieties grow up to 50 cm tall. The stems are heavily branched, and the leaves are oval to lance-shaped, 12 cm long and 4 cm wide. The leaf blade is strongly wrinkled and roughly hairy.
Heliotrope flowers from July until the frosts. The small dark violet flowers smell of vanilla and are gathered in sickle-shaped curved spikes. The flowers turn to follow the sun.
Requirements
It grows best in a mix of compost, leaf mould, sand and peat.
Propagation
Heliotrope can be propagated from stem cuttings taken from mother plants overwintered at 12–15°C. To root, the cuttings need 20–22°C. Once rooted, plant them in pots. To make the plants bushier, pinch out the shoot tips several times.
Care
The plant does best on south-east- and south-west-facing balconies. Make sure the spot is not in too much sun – in very sunny places it wilts. Do not grow it on a south-facing aspect. Heliotrope needs fertile soil, like that of a cold frame, and generous watering. During growth feed every two weeks with a general-purpose fertiliser. This remarkable plant has recently become hard to find, so it is most often grown from seed.
It is a perennial, and the same plants can be used for many years if you bring them indoors in late autumn. Keep them in a bright room at about 10°C.