The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 1 Winter 2012 | 页面 7

Plant profile
Heliotropium arborescens
Turnsole, which was its old English
name, is famed for heliotropism,
which means they turn their heads
with the sun. Nowadays, this perennial
shrub, which has deep purple clusters
of flowers, is often known as just
heliotrope. It is a common feature in
the typical cottage garden and this dark
purple flower looks at home amongst
white roses, angelonia or diamond
frost. It smells as pretty as it looks and
some liken the fragrance to vanilla. The
wonderful scent attracts the birds, bees
and butterflies.

Prunella
The not so well known Prunella
vulgaris, which is commonly called
Self heal, is a medicinal plant used
for the treatment of fevers and sore
throats. This attractive ground cover
grows to about 20 cm in height. Its
creeping self-rooting reddish stems
help quickly multiply this ground
cover. It grows best in semi-shade but
is tolerant of sun. Just remember to
remove the dead flower spikes when
they are old and tired.

It does well in full sun or semi-shade; it
requires at least six hours of sunlight,
and it enjoys the afternoon shade,
as the leaves tend to burn due to
prolonged exposure to direct sun. In
extreme heat, it needs water daily to
prevent moisture stress but be careful
not to over water as it does not do well
in soggy soils.
If you buy a young plant from the
nursery, it must be pinched back to
encourage it to bush out. Remember,
all shrubs need a good structured
framework. Never be afraid to prune
your plants to shape. Don’t forget to
remove old spent blooms to encourage
a continuous show of flowers.

Hebe
Named after the Greek Goddess of
youth, Hebe is a genus of plants native
to New Zealand and South America.
There are a variety of Hebe and the
plants vary in size and leaf colour from
plain green to various variegated ones.
Grow Hebe if you want to attract the
butterflies in your garden. Hebes cope
with most soil types but need good
drainage. They are not fussy and thus
can be a pleasure to even amateur
gardeners.
The one Hebe I find most striking
is Hebe ‘Black Beauty’, which is the
darkest of them all. It has deep purple
flowers and grows to about a metre
high, again prune to shape. Perhaps not
enough attention is paid to the little
white Hebe, as it is so rewarding and
undemanding. It nestles happily into
any semi-shade space.

7