Plant Library

Other Names:  Shrubby Veronica, Hebe odora

Description:

A lovely evergreen upright shrub with burgundy stems, and olive green new growth that matures to purple; flowers are impressive when massed; will tolerate some mild frost, and should be sheltered

Ornamental Features

Purple Hebe has masses of beautiful corymbs of white flowers with creamy white overtones rising above the foliage from late spring to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. It has attractive burgundy-spotted plum purple foliage which emerges olive green in spring. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain plum purple throughout the winter. The burgundy branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Purple Hebe is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Purple Hebe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Purple Hebe will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Purple Hebe makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.