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Light and sweetly fragrant
(by Gina M. Mahon - June 04, 2008)
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Photo By Gina M. Mahon
During the Victorian Era, heliotrope was a must have as a container plant for its rich color and sweet perfume. It is now cultivated in
Southern Europe for perfume.
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June has arrived, and after a surprising chill near the end of May, most of us are now planting-up our gardens and containers nonstop.
As you walk down the aisles of your local garden/ nursery centers searching for something new, you detect a delicate fragrance. The fragrance is light and sweet and you know instantly that this is a must have to be planted in your garden beds or in a container. As you “follow your nose,” it leads you to a plant with tiny deep purple flowers clustered like a head of broccoli. Some of my friends have described its scent as vanilla, cherry, or as I think, baby powder.
I am referring to, Heliotropium arborescens. Known commonly as heliotrope, it is a native of the Peruvian Andes. In the
Andes this plant grows as a soft-wooded evergreen shrub, reaching 30 inches tall and three feet wide. But here in our area we treat this tender perennial as an annual.
The foliage of heliotrope is dark green, one to three inches long and pubescent. The flowers, as I have said, are tiny, only a quarter of and inch long but clustered together forming quite a large ‘head’.
Heliotrope grows in a rounded form and spreads to about 15 inches wide. The height will vary depending on the variety you choose. The flowers come in deep purple (my favorite), pink, violet and white.
‘Lemoine’s Giant’ has blue, violet and lavender flowers whose cluster is between six and 10 inches wide and grows to a height of 24 to 30 inches.
‘Marine’ will give you a deep navy blue flower clustering to 10 inches wide but will only grow 15 to 18 inches tall. These are summer bloomers and you will want to plant them in full sun in well-drained fertile soil. They are not usually sold in flats but rather by the pot so it will cost a bit more, however, it is a very easy plant to start from seed and pinching it back at an early stage will make it nice and full. In your garden bed, try mixing it with petunias, marigolds or even salvia!
Heliotrope doesn’t revive very well if you’ve forgotten to water it so don’t let it dry out completely. As a cut flower it fills your home with its soft scent and rich color, a combination that’s hard to beat. Here are a few interesting facts about heliotrope. During the Victorian Era it was a must have as a container plant for its rich color and sweet perfume. And speaking of perfume, this variety is cultivated in
Southern Europe for perfume.
Also, did you know that heliotrope traveled across the in covered wagons? So why not let it ‘hitch’ a ride in your wagon right into your garden bed or container.
Remember – there can never be enough flowers, so enjoy!
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