I love a good Hebe, but I do find a few of them to get either too ugly, too big, or too scraggly over time.
It is easy to get seduced by Hebes in 4" pots at the nursery. They are so inexpensive and cute. You never realize that some of them get so tall or that even the short ones can be 5' across.
My current dilemma is Hebe cupressoides. I'm beginning to wonder if it is past it's prime?!? After my recent bout of Laurel removal, I'm looking at things with a little more critical eye.
I have had terrible luck trimming Hebes back (sorry Hebe anamala - I loved you so) and I wonder if they just have a finite lifespan in the garden. Perhaps it's just the long summer getting to it?
Should it stay or should it go...???
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| August 2013 |
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| Hebe cupressoides looking better in early summer 2013 |
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| Is it just end of summer raggedness? |
I gave up on hebes long ago, so sorry, no words of wisdom from this quarter.
ReplyDeleteNoooo - let it stay! I'm no expert, but it seems they recover pretty well. And that one has such great texture... But I know what you mean, they do get rather big. I just cut one back. We'll see how it does.
ReplyDeleteBye bye Mr. Hebe...one of the first plants I really felt bad about getting rid of was a hebe, however as soon as it was gone I was relieved.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I have no words of wisdom, as I've not had a hebe in the garden yet. I do love the texture. Will it give you color/texture in the winter? Keep us posted on what you do!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar hebe issue in my garden. I'm going to cut mine back a bit, give it a nice sip of fish fertilizer and see what it does. But, more than likely, it will be torn out and replaced next spring. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteOops, I lied: I do have Hebe 'Quicksilver' and it sprawls happily in an area where nothing else seems to want to grow.
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