Heliotrope

Even if heliotrope didn't have a drop-dead fabulous scent, it would still be widely grown in the garden. It has a distinctive scent -- try to guess it! Some think it smells like cherry pie. Others think it smells like a grape popsicle. Still others think it resembles vanilla. Regardless, it is undeniably one of the most intriguingly scented plants in the garden. Almost as a bonus this tropical plant, grown as an annual, bears big clusters of rich purple, blue, or white flowers.

Heliotrope thrives in a spot with full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It's a great container plant -- try it in a window box or next to a doorway where you can enjoy it frequently. For the strongest scent, group several plants together where they can get afternoon sun. That warming sun is what really releases the fragrance!

Light:

Sun

Zones:

11

Plant Type:

Annual

Plant Height:

1-3 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-2 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers, Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Flowers, Fragrant, Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Fragrant Delight heliotrope

(Heliotropium 'Fragrant Delight') bears soft purple, highly fragrant flowers on 3-foot-tall plants.
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