Other Names:  Shrubby Veronica

Description:

Lovely purplish-blue flowers that fade to white, grace this attractive shrub throughout the summer; glossy leaves add interest all season; perfect for adding lasting color to a shrub border; also a great container plant

Ornamental Features

Blue Gem Hebe has masses of beautiful clusters of lavender flowers rising above the foliage from late spring to early winter, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive green evergreen foliage. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Gem 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.

Blue Gem Hebe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Blue Gem Hebe will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 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 particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Blue Gem 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.