Helichrysum italicum
Italian everlasting
Common names: curry plant, curry straw, curry weed
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 40 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −7 °C
- Water need
- Low
Photo: (c) 2005 Zubro · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The curry plant emits a strong curry scent on warm days and adorns the garden bed with silvery-grey foliage and yellow flower spikes. Its aroma subtly seasons stews and rice dishes; the branches are cooked together and removed before serving.
Care instructions
Plant the curry plant in full sun on a lean, highly draining soil and water only during prolonged dry periods, as it does not tolerate waterlogging. Cut back the half-stalk in spring vigorously to keep it compact. In harsh locations the plants need winter protection with straw.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May
HarvestJun–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 12 °C, ideally 20 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 28 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, well-drained, dry, lean
Curry plant wants lean, sandy and very well-drained soil. Waterlogging and heavy, wet clay are its most common cause of death. In loamy soil, mix in plenty of sand. It tolerates a pH from neutral to slightly limy; avoid acidic, permanently wet soils. In a pot, use a sandy herb compost with a high drainage content of coarse sand or perlite.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
As a Mediterranean plant of lean sites, curry plant needs hardly any nutrients. Too many weaken the aroma and make the plant more frost-tender. With overwintered plants, work a thin layer of well-rotted compost shallowly around the plant in spring; that is enough for the season. In high summer, if growth in a pot slackens, you can give a one-off dose of horn shavings. Never feed in autumn and winter.
Overwintering
Curry plant is only conditionally hardy: give it a sunny, sheltered position with well-drained soil and cover it with brushwood, leaves or horticultural fleece before frost. Do not cut it back bare in autumn; the old growth protects the heart of the plant. In a container, it is better to bring it into winter quarters bright and cool (around 5 to 10 °C) and water only sparingly there until it sprouts again in spring.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
The most reliable way to propagate curry plant is from cuttings, because that gives you plants that come true and quicker results. In summer (June to August), cut semi-ripe shoots about 8 to 10 cm long, remove the lower leaves and insert the cuttings in well-drained, sandy substrate. Keep the soil evenly slightly moist, not wet, or the roots will rot, and put the pot in a warm, bright place without strong midday sun. After about four weeks the cuttings have rooted. Since curry plant can be lost in winters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, depending on the site, it is worth rooting a few cuttings every autumn and overwintering them frost-free but bright.
For sowing, start the seeds on a bright windowsill from mid-February. Curry plant needs light to germinate: only press the seeds down lightly, do not cover them with soil, and keep them evenly warm and bright. Germination takes about two weeks. After the Ice Saints (mid-May) you can plant the young plants in the bed or in a container. Sowing takes longer than propagating from cuttings, but it suits well when you want to raise many plants at once.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Italian everlasting yourself
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