Heliotrope actually turn to face the sun

That flowers are for romance goes without saying, and the Victorians were perhaps the most romantic of all.  A small purple flower with the intoxicating fragrance of vanilla or, some say, cherry pie, originally from Peru, swept the Victorian era.  It was planted in gardens and parks and then, like Queen Victoria herself, the heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) seems to have drifted into the mists of history.

A member of the borage family, this unusual plant is suited for containers and pots as well as the garden. You can plant these in flower borders, window boxes, individual pots or tubs, and even a cool greenhouse. Heliotrope is excellent planted among vegetables, because its strong fragrance attracts bees and other pollinating insects.

The name itself is a clue to one of the most fascinating aspects of this plant. The flowers actually turn to face the sun, and hence the name heliotrope, from "helios," Greek for "sun," and “tropein” means "to turn."  Heliotrope blooms with flowers in blue, purple, and white, though purple is the most fragrant and most common.

For best results grow heliotrope in full sunlight or partial shade if your garden tends to get too hot.  Most varieties will grow from 10 to 48 inches high. The deep-green-veined foliage is attractive in its own right.

Heliotrope plants are often available at local nurseries.  Mail- order companies often list heliotrope seeds and plants.  Park Seeds carries seeds of heliotrope, and Territorial Seeds offers whole plants. To grow from seed, sow seeds indoors eight to 10 weeks before your last frost. Barely cover the tiny seeds with just 1/16 inch of fine soil well pressed down. Water carefully by misting so you don’t wash the seeds away. Named varieties include “Princess Marina,” “Mary Fox,” and even white heliotropes such as “White Lady” and “White Queen.”  The variety “Florence Nightingale” is slightly taller than most.

They need rich soil and good drainage. Feed them once a month with a diluted organic fertilizer. For bushier plants, pinch off the young tips. Remove dead flowers to encourage more blooms. Space the plants at least a foot apart. Give them plenty of room for good air circulation, or they can develop powdery mildew.

They are only hardy in USDA zones 9 and 10, but you can keep them over the winter if grown in a large pot; just put them in the sunniest window you have.

For more plants, take cuttings of the roots or stems in autumn.

You can cut bouquets of flowers from your heliotrope to present to a lover or a friend, or perhaps both.  Christina Rossetti wrote in her poem "In the Willow Shade," those "who set their heart upon a hope,  That never comes to pass, Droop in the end like fading heliotrope.”