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Gardening in Oz

planting hebe

trancegemini_wa

20 years ago

can anyone tell me where hebe should be planted, as in, full sun, part sun, facing west, east, north, help!

Ive been searching around the web and keep coming up with "full sun" but I just find it hard to believe that a nz plant could handle full sun over here, but maybe Im just underestimating the hebe. the one Ive grown isnt one with the very small leaves, the leaves are larger. our summers are very hot and dry, and we dont get much in the way of cloud cover over summer so the sun is always very intense (hot and very bright). does it really want full sun or will it just get cooked?

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Comments (6)

User
20 years ago
Hi TG Have a look at the link below it may help.
Cheers..MM.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hebe
Sparaxis
20 years ago
Hebe's are tough as. Mine always coped with full sun in castlemaine, which gets hot in summer. Here they get a bit of shade from an overhanging gum tree, which sucks the life out of the soil. They are happy as larks and bloom their heads off for ages. I rarely ever water them, but they are mulched. The leaves are a bit on the leathery side, so they are not particularly tender.
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I think the 'larger leaves=tender" rule is sort of a gross generalization with many exceptions. For example some forms of H. salicifolia are very hardy. There are a whole lot of smallish leaved ones that are hardy to around 10-15F and have persisted through most of our recent winters in most places, along with some of the hardier large leafed ones ('Amy' etc.) In my garden 'Alicia Amherst' and H. speciosa have been damaged from temperatures around 20F. Some of the hardiest hebes are H. traversii, H. albicans and the popular form 'Red Edge' which are all good to below 10F. Then there is the whole group of 'whipcord' Hebes which are generally hardier, but considered to be difficult to grow. They are a little bit less popular and therefore rarer, but alot of them are hardy to around 0F. They are mostly alpine plants in the wild. I'm not sure that they are so difficult in our climate, provided well drained soil and the right amount of summer water.
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User
20 years ago
My daughter has them growing successfully in morning sun. I have had them in blasting afternoon sun.
If they don't get enough light they will tend to grow leggy, reaching for light.
They are pretty tough and versatile I think.
Cheers,
Dee.
trancegemini_wa
Original Author
20 years ago
thanks MM, sparaxis and dee,

It sounds like theyre fairly tough and Im glad to hear they are happy with a bit of shade too, I have a spot which will get a few hours of sun but wont be in the sun all day and I think I'll try them there, thanks!
meggs
20 years ago
Well, my three penny worth from Perth Northern suburbs. I have a hebe hedge on a very exposed front yard, no trees, only roses and flowers. They grow very fast and I renew them every few years, this means I pull them up in late autumn and plant cuttings in the same row as the old plants grew. They hardly get watered, but with healthy roots, they will find their way to water. Great plant for seaside gardens, tolerates lime. Have fun with your hebes and if you come across one that you would just love to have, knock on the door and ask for cuttings. This is the origin of my plants.
trancegemini_wa
Original Author
20 years ago
thanks meggs, it sounds like theyll stand up to the sun then. I saw this one in someones garden and got a few pieces so I have no idea which one it is but the flowers were adorable

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