This plant grows well in coastal sun or part shade with regular to occasional watering. It is tender to frost and temperatures below 28 °F but damaged tips recover quickly. This strongly perfumed "old fashion" plant has been a favorite of southern California garden designers for many years - it is much larger and has proven far more durable than the darker foliaged purple flowering cultivars that are often treated as annuals or short-lived perennial. This Heliotrope imparts a wonderful scent over a large area of the garden and is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.

There is certainly some confusion surrounding Heliotropium arborescens, likely due to its introduction, even before it was described by the Scottish botanist and chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden in 1757. It apparently was in cultivation in Europe from plants returned by early travelers to Peru and from these plants subsequent selections were made and it is also possible that hybrids with a second Peruvian species, Heliotropium corymbosum, were created. The name for the genus comes the Greek words 'helios' meaing "sun" and 'tropein' meaning "to turn" with idea being that the rows of curled inflorescences of flowers are turned toward the sun. The specific epithet means tree like in reference to the larger stature of this species. Other common names include Cherry Pie Flower, Peruvian Heliotrope and Peruvian Turnsole (turnsole is a middle English term also meaning turning toward the sun). While smaller plants with darker purplish foliage and dark flowers became more popular, this particular "old fashion" large shrubby species form with paler flowers was noted in the 1970s as underused by the famed Los Angeles garden designer Phillip Chandler, who recognized it as a great addition to a woodland setting in the garden. We thank Landscape Architect Sydney Baumgartner for encouraging us to grow this plant that she used so effectively in her design at Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden in Santa Barbara. We have grown this beautiful and incredibly fragrant plant since 1993. 

The information displayed on this page about Heliotropium arborescens is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.