Other Names:  Shrubby Veronica

Description:

A lovely compact shrub presenting attractive, dark green glossy foliage; large spikes of rose-purple flowers appear from spring to fall; ideal for small gardens, borders, and containers; prune lightly to maintain shape

Ornamental Features

Wiri Charm Hebe has masses of beautiful spikes of rose star-shaped flowers with purple overtones rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. It has attractive dark green foliage with pointy dark red spines. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The dark red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Wiri Charm Hebe is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. 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.

Wiri Charm Hebe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Wiri Charm Hebe will grow to be about 30 inches 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 may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. 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.

Wiri Charm 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.