The Heliotrope, also known as the “Cherry Pie plant” for its incredible vanilla-like scent, isn’t a fan of the cold. Since it’s not winter-hardy, you’ll need to give it a little extra TLC to get it through the winter months. A quick trim before its winter nap is the perfect way to prep your Heliotrope for the season ahead.
Heliotropes Aren’t Cold-Hardy
The Heliotrope is not winter-hardy and can suffer serious damage if temperatures dip down to around 40°F (5°C). To keep those fragrant purple blooms coming back year after year, make sure to move your plant into a cozy winter shelter before the first frost hits.
Finding the Perfect Winter Spot
The ideal winter home for your Heliotrope should check a few boxes:
- It needs plenty of light.
- It should be cool but strictly frost-free.
- Aim for temperatures between 40°F and 50°F (5°C to 10°C).
Bright, temperature-controlled basements, sunlit entryways, unheated hallways, sunrooms, or frost-free garden sheds are all great options for overwintering.
Pruning Before the Big Move
Before you tuck your Heliotrope away for the winter, give it a light pruning. Start by removing any spent flower clusters and dead foliage. If you’re tight on space in your winter quarters, don’t be afraid to cut the plant back by about one-third or even two-thirds.
Heliotropes are pretty resilient and actually handle a hard prune quite well. Cutting it back now encourages bushier, denser growth once spring rolls around. Plus, it’s a great preventative measure—less foliage means fewer places for pests or diseases to hide during the winter.
Propagating Your Trimmings
Don’t let those healthy cuttings go to waste! You can use the trimmed stems as cuttings to grow brand-new plants. Just stick them into a pot with some good seed-starting mix and keep them in a warm, bright spot. Keep the soil consistently moist, and by the time spring arrives, they’ll have developed a strong root system and be ready to join the mother plant back outside.
A Little Post-Winter Cleanup
Pruning isn’t just for the fall; your Heliotrope will likely need a quick “haircut” after winter, too. It’s totally normal for the plant to drop some leaves or have a few stems dry out while it’s indoors. Simply snip off any dead bits in early spring before you start acclimating the plant back to the great outdoors.
