Helichrysum Licorice Plant – Live Silver Foliage Starter Plants

Add a soft, silvery layer to your container garden with Helichrysum licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare). Its woolly gray-green leaves and spreading, trailing stems create a gentle contrast beside colorful flowers. Let it spill over a hanging basket, soften the edge of a patio pot, or trail over a stone wall.

Plant Highlights

• What you receive: Live starter plants, not seeds.
• Botanical name: Helichrysum petiolare.
• Foliage: Soft, densely felted, rounded gray-green leaves.
• Habit: Spreading to trailing, with a woody base as plants mature.
• Plant type: Tender evergreen perennial, often grown as an annual in cooler climates.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 9–10.
• Best uses: Hanging baskets, mixed containers, edging, and seasonal ground cover.

Choose Your Plant Pack

Select 1, 3, or 10 live plants to suit your project. These are starter plants that will need time to establish and fill out. Plant size and appearance vary with the season and growing conditions.

Growth and Garden Display

When grown as an annual, licorice plant commonly reaches approximately 6–9 inches tall. In favorable perennial growing conditions, mature plants may reach 1–2 feet tall and spread 3–4 feet wide. Allow space for the stems to spread or cascade.

This plant is grown primarily for its foliage. Overwintered plants may produce small white flowers in their second year, but flowering is not its main ornamental feature. Leaves may release a light licorice-like scent in summer heat.

Planting and Care

Use well-draining soil and a container with drainage holes. Water after planting and check soil moisture regularly while roots establish, avoiding persistently soggy conditions. Position trailing stems near the edge of a container to show off their cascading habit, and trim as needed to keep the display balanced.

Cold-Weather Care

In USDA zones 9–10, grow as a tender perennial where local conditions are suitable. In colder areas, enjoy it as a seasonal annual or protect container plants from frost.

Ornamental Use

Despite its common name, this is an ornamental foliage plant, not culinary licorice. It is not sold for food, homemade extracts, or medicinal use.