Other Names:  Dwarf Hebe

Description:

Pretty lilac-blue flowers grace this attractive dwarf shrub or sub-shrub; burgundy stems and glossy leaves add interest all season; perfect for adding lasting color to a shrub border and is also a great container plant

Ornamental Features

Porlock Purple Parahebe has masses of beautiful racemes of lilac purple cup-shaped flowers with blue overtones, white eyes and a red ring from mid spring to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges burgundy in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The burgundy stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Porlock Purple Parahebe 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.

Porlock Purple Parahebe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Porlock Purple Parahebe will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 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 prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. 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.

Porlock Purple Parahebe makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. 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.