The exuberant colours of Hebe ‘Wiri Port’ make it an ideal shrub to use as a component of gardens where the emphasis is on plants which are fun and lively. It’s a shrub for mild climate gardens and is good near the coast. Sunny situations are important for its well being and once established it will tolerate periods of drought. Emphasise its profusion of brush shaped flowers, the rich wine colour enlivened by the dusting of gold on the tips, by planting it among flowers and fruits which glow. These could include golden Meyer lemons, purple tibouchinas, orange, gold and red vireya rhododendrons, tall stemmed alstroemerias and daylilies, scarlet and golden-yellow single flowered dahlias such as ‘Scarlet Fern’ and ‘Knock Out’, blue salvias such as the tall growing ‘Indigo Spires’, yellow and orange kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos), abutilons and the big blue flowers of Dichroa ‘Blue Sapphires’.
Dramatic, richly coloured cabbage tree (Cordyline) varieties such as ‘Red Star’ add to the appeal of ‘Wiri Port’ and in sheltered gardens the dusky red foliage of Cotinus ‘Grace’ or the new, lime green Cotinus ‘Golden Spirit’ can be used for dramatic background effect.
For something quite different, grow colourful vegetables as a foreground to Hebe ‘Wiri Port’. These can include red foliage lettuces, purple cabbages and bright stemmed beets.
Because Hebe ‘Wiri Port’ is fast growing, it is is ideal for new gardens where it soon provides an established look. Mix it up with other natives to provide beauty and privacy, using it as an attractive foreground to Pseudopanax adiantifolius and Pseudopanax ‘Black Ruby’, tree ferns such as Cyathea medullaris, broad leafed puka, Meryta sinclairii, and shiny green Griselinia littoralis.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants