Find blue flowers hard to resist? It’s a common weakness, and no wonder when you consider how beautiful many blue flowers are. We don’t often think of NZ native shrubs possessing stunning blue flowers, but some of the hybrid Hebes which have become available in recent times certainly do.

Hebe ‘Totara Blue’ has striking violet-blue flowers which are produced over an amazingly long period, from the middle of summer until early spring, making a great show. This sun loving Hebe will grow with the greatest of ease, even in quite poor soils, but it must have protection from all but the lightest frosts. A sunny situation is also essential. Even more flowers will be produced if the old flower heads are cut off when they have finished.

Hebe ‘Totara Blue’ is a gem to include in mixed groups of low growing shrubs. For a real talking point, gather a group of blue flowered plants together, say Dichroa ‘Blue Sapphires’, Ceratostigma ‘Blue Forest’ and Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’. Make the group all the more appealing by mixing in something white and something cream, such as the all summer flowering Gaura ‘So White’ and the sweetly scented, not too vigourous climber Trachelospermum jasminoides (which makes a great ground cover as well with just a little pruning).

In addition to all its other attributes, Hebe ‘Totara Blue’ is great for new gardens, providing evergreen foliage and pretty flowers at a satisfyingly rapid rate.