How to Grow Curry Plant (Helichrysum italicum)

Curry plant in bloom

Curry plant is a curious and interesting little herb that may not be in the top five or ten choices on your herb wish list but definitely deserves some consideration. 

It is distinct from curry tree, whose leaves are often used in Indian cooking and for medicinal purposes. For more information about the curry tree (Murraya koenigii), here's a quick cheat sheet. Curry Tree/Curry Plant.

What Is Curry Plant

Helichrysum italicum or curry plant is a tender perennial. Outdoors, it does best in U.S. zones 7 to 10. It can't tolerate a hard frost. It prefers soil that drains well, with full sun and warm conditions. It's a perfect choice for intermittently drought-prone areas. If you have a spot behind a shed or garage that tends to reject your efforts to plant it out, curry plant may be a good choice there, too. It performs well in poor soil and isn't very finicky about niceties like pH (although keeping things on the neutral side wouldn't hurt). Because it's such a good sport about water, it doesn't require mulching. It's also a natural pest repellent. Bugs tend to avoid it, and deer hate it.

Growing to a height of around 30 inches or so, curry plant looks like a cross between lavender and rosemary. It has soft, gray-green foliage and produces small yellow flowers. It may require staking, especially in a windy location or a spot that sees a lot of foot traffic, like a tree lawn.

Uses for Curry Plant

Curry plant is often promoted as an aromatic herb. Its common name derives from its scent, which can smell like curry. (As most of you know, curry is actually a blend of a variety of different spices that can vary from country to country and region to region.) 

When placed along a walkway, the aroma can be unexpected and enticing. To some folks, curry plant doesn't smell as much like curry as something else -- maple syrup. Regardless of how you interpret the aroma, it has a somewhat sweet, spicy and flowery note that seems at home with both sweet and savory fare.

I mention this because curry plant is sometimes maligned as pretty useless in the kitchen because it has a mild and sometimes bitter flavor. Much of its aroma is lost in cooking. As with pineapple sage, I think people expect curry plant to have more culinary power because it smells so nice. Even though curry plant isn't the flavor powerhouse promised by its complex and very compelling scent, it is still useful in the kitchen. 

Actually, there are a lot of uses for curry plant: Chopped fine it compliments dishes and ingredients like eggs, yogurt, mild cheeses and even fish. It enhances vinegar blends and makes a nice garnish, too. If you think you might like to try making an herb wreath, swag or even potpourri, curry plant will look and smell nice there

A healthy curry plant in bloom

Curry plant also has medicinal properties. You can make a useful curry plant tea treat cold symptoms. Here's a recipe:  Curry Plant Tea for Colds (Helichrysum italicum)

How to Grow Curry Plant From Stem Cuttings

This useful little herb can be propagated from seed or grown from 6-inch stem cuttings. It can be rooted easily in water to which rooting hormone (or another root stimulant like aloe vera gel) has been added.  Just make sure there is at least one leaf node on every stem you choose.

Propagating curry plant from stem cuttings

The plant itself will survive for years in your landscape. It tends to get rangy and untidy after a while, though, and will become less productive after about the third or fourth year.

Curry plant in bud

Immature plants make unique gifts. Many gardeners are unfamiliar with curry plant and are immediately drawn to its aroma and soft, elongated, gray leaves. It's adorable and unusual. Curry plant blossoms dry well and are as durable as strawflowers.

How to Grow Curry Plant Indoors

Curry plant makes a very nice houseplant provided you can give it plenty of sun. This plant will need supplemental light if you can't give it six to eight hours of powerful light a day. A southern exposure close to the window is ideal. I've kept a curry plant indoors for a couple of years now, putting it outside in spring and summer. 

As one of my commuter plants, it's refreshingly undemanding. When it spends time in my kitchen, its spicy aroma is very noticeable and nice. Even when I'm not cooking, it smells like I have something delicious going on. If you do place curry plant in a pot, make sure to add some sand to the soil for good drainage, and water it sparingly.

If you'd like to expand your herb collection this year, I recommend curry plant. It's a curiosity, but a fun and useful one.

How to Grow Curry Plant - Fast Facts

• Botanical Name: Helichrysum italicum or Helichrysum angustifolium (You'll find it referred to as both.)
• Origin: Mediterranean region, particularly Turkey
• Life Cycle: Perennial herb, though it can be cultivated as an annual in colder climates.
• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 7-10 (It is somewhat more cold tolerant than the Curry Tree)
• Sowing Recommendations: Prefers warm temperatures. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in well-draining soil at around 70°F (21°C). You can also propagate curry plant easily via stem cuttings.
• Days to Germination: 7 to 14 weeks
• Soil Requirements: Well-draining, moderately rich soil. Can tolerate poor soil and some drought conditions.
• Moisture and Humidity: Allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Does well in moderate humidity.
• Light Requirements: Full sun for best growth and fragrance.
• Spacing: 12 to 18 inches apart
• Days to Maturity: Reaches full size within 1 to 2 years.
• Height at Maturity: 24 to 48 inches tall
• Pests and Diseases: Pest and disease resistant. Susceptible to powdery mildew.

Uses and Benefits:

• Ornamental: Grown for its attractive silvery foliage and fragrant leaves
• Culinary: Adds a unique tang to savory dishes
• Dried flowers: Dried for potpourri or arrangements like garlands and herb wreaths.  Can be as durable as strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum)

History: Cultivated in the Mediterranean for centuries and prized for its and fragrant leaves and yellow “everlasting” flowers.

Other Factors: Easy to grow and low maintenance. Deer resistant. 

Common Names: Italian Strawflower, Immortelle, Murella

Photo Credits:

Photo 1 - CurryPlant_Wiki.jpg By Kareha (a photograph taken by myself (Kareha)) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACurry_plants.jpg

Photo 2 - CurryPlantBlossom_Wiki.jpg By 6th Happiness (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACurry-plant-blooming.JPG