Peruvian Heliotrope

Looking after your Peruvian Heliotrope These pretty flowering plants also have a lovely vanilla scent and have been grown in Europe since the 1800s. ‘Heliotrope’ was named by a greek botanist and means ‘I turn to the sun’ so it’s no surprise that they like a sunny position. You will notice that throughout the day the leaves and flower heads will follow the sun across the sky and will droop when it’s cloudy. As the name suggests, they do come from warmer climes so will do best in a conservatory, or a bright room although they can also do well outside on summer patio. In the right spot these plants will produce colourful blooms all summer long. Good light is important for heliotropes, cold draughts or strong winds are best avoided and in the winter they will need a spot indoors and will start to suffer in temperatures below 8°C. If you do have a sheltered spot outside the bees and butterflies will go mad for the sweet nectar filled flowers. To encourage more buds, cut off dead flowers and pinch out the leading shoots. They are quite thirsty plants so try to make sure you keep the soil damp. If you find it’s a struggle to keep up with the watering you could always repot into a larger pot with rich container compost. Heliotropes aren’t particular prone to pests but if you spot any aphids or stickiness on the leaves, give them a good wipe down with soapy water.