Heliotropium arborescens

Common Name:
Cherry Pie Heliotrope

Description:
Heliotropium arborescens, commonly known as Cherry Pie Heliotrope, is a beautifully fragrant flowering perennial prized for its dense clusters of rich violet-purple blooms and sweet vanilla-cherry scented flowers. Flowering prolifically from spring through to autumn in Melbourne’s climate, this old-fashioned cottage garden favourite creates a lush and colourful display while attracting bees and butterflies to the garden. Its soft green foliage provides an attractive backdrop to the vibrant flowers, making it ideal for borders, decorative pots, pathways, and patio plantings where the fragrance can be fully appreciated. Best grown in a sunny to partly shaded position with well-drained soil, Heliotrope performs particularly well in warmer conditions with regular watering during dry periods. In cooler areas it is often treated as a short-lived perennial or annual, while in frost-free gardens it can maintain year-round growth. Its compact growth habit and long flowering season make it an excellent addition to cottage-style, pollinator-friendly, and ornamental gardens.

Form:
• Shrub - Small
• Shrub - Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

Mature Size:
• Height: 40–80 cm
• Width: 40–60 cm

Aspect:
• Full Sun
• Part Shade

Flowering:
• Flowers in Spring
• Flowers in Summer
• Flowers in Autumn

Flower Colour:
• Violet-purple
• Deep purple

Key Attributes:
• Bee Attracting
• Bird Attracting
• Herbaceous
• Perennial
• Scented flowers
• Suitable for Pots
• Suitable for Cottage Gardens
• Attractive to Butterflies
• Long flowering season

Toxicity:
Heliotropium arborescens is considered toxic if ingested and may be harmful to humans, dogs, cats, horses, and livestock. Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which may cause liver damage if consumed.

Companion Plants:
• Lavender
• Salvia
• Lobelia
• Alyssum
• Petunia
• Verbena
• Dianthus
• Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)