Hebes are often thought of as shrubs for new gardens, where they are excellent for quick effect, producing lots of growth in a hurry and flowering profusely soon after planting. But varieties such as ‘Wiri Prince’ are just as deserving of a place in the permanent shrub border where they have much to contribute, both in terms of flowers and foliage.
This is an interesting shrub to grow along with other purple and blue flowered shrubs. These can include sky blue Dichroa ‘Blue Sapphires’, which shares with Hebe ‘Wiri Prince’ the ability to flower for an extended period over summer, and the semi-climbing Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’ which with a little trimming remains bushy. ‘Royal Cape’ has gorgeous soft blue flowers non-stop for months on end during the warmer months of the year.
Continue the blue theme with some of the tall growing, perennial salvias which mingle very well with shrubby Hebes. Salvia varieties such as ‘Indigo Spires’ put on a remarkable performance, the navy blue flowers with their purple, woolly calyces providing colour almost year round.
Hebe ‘Wiri Prince’ will tolerate a fair degree of drought when established so it will do well in coastal gardens where it mingles happily with marguerite daisies such as ‘Summer Melody’. On sun baked banks it can be used as part of a low maintenance planting, mingling with green flowered Euphorbias, various Leucadendrons including the cream and pink and red foliaged ‘Jester’, bushy Grevilleas and in the foreground the very appealing new Gazania varieties ‘Sunset Jane’ and ‘Montezuma’.
In good soil, try planting ‘Wiri Prince’ with glossy green foliage shrubs and small trees such as the sweet smelling Michelia figo, summer flowering Magnolia ‘Little Gem’, and the native Pittosporums such as ‘Mountain Green’.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants