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 sandy potting soil and press in hard. Keep evenly moist until germination, which takes 10 to 20 days. Germination can be difficult and is related to light intensity. Too much light deters germination. If seedlings do not occur after a week or two of standard greenhouse culture, move the flat to a cool, moist, shaded exposure. This has been proven to provide good results. 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
Matt P. –
Hello, I would be interested in buying 1g instead of a small pack, do you have any plans to bring it back before spring?
Also some great research has been conducted on increasing germination on a plant in the same genus. Smoke water soak and prop temp at 20C was found to greatly increase germination rates. If anyone interested the article is titled.
“Seed germination and vegetative propagation of Helichrysum odoratissimum”
-Ivy Masefako Makena
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Richo Cech –
Hi Matt, Thanks for the tip! My experiments have shown dark dependency and this should probably be added into any germination scenario for our species. We already harvested the seed for 2025 and put it in packets. There will be no bulk offering until next year at the earliest. We fertilized our plants in the field and noted that it took 8 months for the fertilization to really have a positive effect. A strange creature, this, but worthy. Richo
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Question
Kevin –
Do you sell this plant or only seeds
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Richo Cech –
Hi Kevin,
We do sell seeds and plants of Helichrysum. First planting around winter solstice did great and plants all sold out. Had trouble germinating the second to fourth seeding of these under lights later on this winter/spring. Set them to shadehouse and got rampant germination within 2 weeks. Always learning. Currently, plants out of stock on 5_29_2024, will re-enable as soon as new planting sizes up. Very persnickity as a potted plant, I like to get them set to garden as quickly as possible. Once that is done, they persist.
Richo
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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 –
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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Jazmyne –
Do you know of any companies that sell sandy soil?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Jazmyne, I do not–it would be very heavy to ship through the mail. You can buy builder’s sand at the local hardware store and mix it with potting soil or compost and use that. richo
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Jazmyne –
Thank you very much!
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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 –
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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Kelly –
Can one make an infused oil with the blooms? Would that have similar properties as the essential oil?
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Richo Cech –
yes, essential oils are soluble in fixed oils.
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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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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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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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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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Question
Gwen –
Is Helichrysum susceptible to any pests?
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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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