Plant Library

Other Names:  Blue Leaf Hebe, Shrubby Veronica

Description:

An upright, rounded evergreen shrub with interesting rounded foliage that are light blue-green and glossy; lovely white flowers in summer; an excellent addition to the shrub border

Ornamental Features

Blue-Leaved Hebe has masses of beautiful corymbs of white flowers rising above the foliage from early to mid summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The small glossy round leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. The brick red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Blue-Leaved Hebe is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

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.

Blue-Leaved Hebe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Blue-Leaved Hebe will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. 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 species is not originally from North America.

Blue-Leaved Hebe makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. 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.