common heliotrope
Heliotropium arborescens
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones10 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size12 to 18 inches tall12 to 18 inches wide
- Habit
- Spreading
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Violet
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Common heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) is a shrub for borders, pollinator gardens, and containers. It grows outdoors year-round in USDA zone 10 and warmer, down to about 30°F (-1°C). In colder areas, grow it as a houseplant or bring it indoors for winter. This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist, sandy or loamy soil. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything. Its violet flowers are fragrant and draw butterflies and bees.
Pairs well with Loch Hope lily-of-the-nile, D Silver African daisy, and Gerrie Hoek dahlia.
Native range
South America.