Shrubs up well
THIS BORDER STALWART CAN BE OVERLOOKED WHEN IT’S NOT IN FLOWER – BUT NOW IS THE TIME THAT HEBE REALLY SHINES
THERE are some plants that are too often overlooked when people are choosing greenery for their garden, and hebes are right up there on the forgotten list.
You probably won’t notice them in a garden centre or nursery unless they are in flower because they tend to be rather understated with their green or grey leaves, centred with a single pleat. But July is their month and if you spot them in flower, you’ll realise what useful shrubs they can be for the mid to late summer garden.
Hebes are native to New Zealand and their flowers may be either short and stubby clusters or long bottle brushes.
It is the latter that offers the most spectacle, and in a sunny spot with well-drained soil they should thrive.
For best results, make sure they have some shelter from cold winds. They neither like nor need lashings of manure because that tends to make them grow lush, which adds to the tenderness of the plant’s foliage. I am especially fond of ‘Great Orme’, which has pink bottle brushes from July to October, and ‘Watson’s Pink’ with flowers that fade from pink to white in June and July.
The season can be prolonged by planting ‘Autumn Glory’, a purpleflowered variety that looks good from June until November – and there are very few shrubs that can boast that length of display.
So, if you are on the lookout for shrubby colour on bushes that make domes about 3ft high and rather more across, invest in a few hebes. I doubt you will be disappointed, even if they lack the lookat-me qualities of some of the more spectacular shrubs.