Other Names:  Blue Leaf Hebe, Shrubby Veronica

Description:

A compact evergreen shrub with interesting, pointed narrow foliage that is bright gray-blue; lovely white flowers in summer; an excellent addition to the shrub border

Ornamental Features

Clarence Blue-Leaved Hebe has masses of beautiful clusters of white flowers rising above the foliage in early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. It has attractive grayish green foliage with hints of powder blue. The small narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. The coppery-bronze stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Clarence 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.

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

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Clarence Blue-Leaved Hebe will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 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.

Clarence Blue-Leaved Hebe makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used 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.