Helichrysum italicum seeds, organic

$5.95$30.00

Family:  Aster (Asteraceae)

Hardy to Zones 7 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted plant, brought in for the winter

(Curry Plant, Helichrysum italicum, Immortelle, Imortelle, Helichrysum angustifolium) Perennial, drought tolerant woody subshrub native to the Mediterranean basin. Flowers yellow on upright, dusty gray foliage. Grows to about 2 feet. Highly aromatic plant resembles the aroma of curry–used sparingly as a culinary spice. More significantly, this is the verified and primary source of a rather famous, expensive and uplifting essential oil widely used in perfumery and aromatherapy. Traditional usage (TWM): antiinflammatory, muscle soreness, bruises and swellings, acne, psoriasis, burns, abrasions and wounds. Plant prefers full sun and dryish, fast-draining soils. In the spring, sow small seed on surface of potting soil, press in hard, keep evenly moist and in the light until germination, which takes 10 to 20 days.  Work up seedlings in successively larger pots until they are robust enough to withstand the rigors of the landscape.  Space plants 2 to 3 feet apart.

100 seeds per packet

1 g contains ~14,000 seeds

Certified Organically Grown

 

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  1. Question

    Shary

    Hi Richie,
    If I grow these as an annual in Wisconsin, can I sow directly in the soil and still get some flowers…or is it best to start indoors and transplant after frost time.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Shary, Thanks for this thoughtful question. This is very small seed. I’ve never seen anyone have success direct-seeding it. As with many perennials, you start indoors by strewing on surface of sandy soil and pressing in. Work up in pots and transplant out after frost. Flowers are unlikely in the first year. richo

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  2. Question

    Christen

    Richo – if I am in zone 6a and I planted this in a large pot and overwintered it in an unheated greenhouse, would it have a chance of surviving?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Christen, thanks for contacting. I’m a little confused because this question is left on the seeds page and it appears we’re talking about the plant. So, a single layer of plastic ups your winter one zone. If you plant the plant in a pot of fast-draining soil and put it in a greenhouse in zone 6 and water it occasionally, then it acts like a plant in a zone 7 and that is warm enough to overwinter helichrysum. Richo

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    • Christen

      Thank you! You answered my question perfectly!! Even though I asked it on the wrong page 😂

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  3. Question

    Annie Ryan

    How deep of a pot do I need to grow helichrysum??? I have clay soil but thought I could try growing in pots.

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Annie, They have a shallow root system and will take a wide, shallow pot. I have to admit I don’t really have the soil mix figured out myself. Fast-draining soil seems necessary but sometimes the roots just give up and it seems like they wanted that clay soil, somehow. They do pretty well in pots. you won’t get seed unless you grow several of them. richo

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    • Kathy (verified owner)

      Why didn’t mine ever flower? Zone 4b

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    • 2 out of 2 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi kathy, its a perennial. if flowers do not occur the first year, then they do the second. flowering is in June and July, and if an early harvest is made, then a second harvest is likely. Helichrysum are fragile–if they don’t get the right conditions (full sun and fast-draining soil) they will be likely to go away. richo

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    • Kathy TwoBears (verified owner)

      Thanks, I’m in zone 4b so I’ll try to bring it inside and hopefully second year it blooms. Can the leaves be used medicinally or is it just the blooms. Thanks!!

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    • 3 out of 3 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi kathy, traditionally just the blooms picked in early maturity. however its a good point about the rest of the plant. we do have a test going to see what’s in there. one thing, the leaves don’t really amount to much when they are picked and dried, they are quite small and dry down to almost nothin. meanwhile the fluffy flowers are quite productive. r

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  4. Question

    Gwen

    Is Helichrysum susceptible to any pests?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello Gwen, Not in my experience–the essential oil plants tend to be unaffected by pests. But Helichrysum as I know it is tricky in other ways. A tray of seedlings can look really good at one point and then really self-thin aggressively. Also when in the field or rockery, some plants will dwindle while others dig in and perennialize. Richo

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  5. Question

    Beverly Pirtle

    Essential Oil shop advertised as helping heal PTSD/emotional wounds….what is your opinion on that? Do you have other medicinals that help with that? Thank you

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Beverly,
      My thought is that any calming nervine may assist with PTSD. Frankly one of the best approaches is meditation, which is not the same as herbal therapy obviously. I like Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis) which is a nervine woundwort and in my opinion helps recovery from emotional scarring. I recommend our Helichrysum italicum, both in plant and seed form, right now. Richo

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  6. Question

    debra carroll

    Yes are these Corsica seeds or no?

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  7. Question

    Steven

    Where are your Helichrysum italicum, seeds from?

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  8. Question

    Lily

    What season is suitable for planting Helichrysum?

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  9. Question

    Estibaliz Aizpuru

    How easily does Helichrysum germinate?

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Plant prefers full sun and dryish, fast-draining soils. Sow small seed on surface of potting soil, press in hard, keep evenly moist and in the light until germination, which takes 10 to 20 days.

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      germination very easy if you know how. Many beginning gardeners have big problems with surface-sowing. Use a sandy mix, sprinkle seed on surface, press in hard, and do not float the seed when watering.

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  10. Question

    Dr Miklós Csikós

    Hello! Can you tell me which country are the seeds from? Which subspecies are those seeds? I want to make an experimental plantation, and those are very important informations for me.
    Thanks!

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