Hebe Wiri Image

Hebe Wiri Image, cousin of the excellent Wiri Charm Hebe, is a fairly recent variety selected for its summer flowering in large blue-mauve spikes, quite abundant, but also for its increased resistance to cryptogamic diseases that often disfigure these plants in humid climates. It is particularly elegant due to its regular habit and the meticulous and geometric arrangement of its foliage on its branches. Its very neat appearance, rather unusual flowering and its tolerance to sea spray make this evergreen bush a perfect plant for ornamental gardens and terraces in mild coastal areas, as it dislikes intense heat and scorching sun.

The 'Wiri Image' Hebe is a fairly old New Zealand cultivar, obtained at the Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens by Jack Hobbs, recently introduced in France. It belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is related to perennial veronicas. It forms a very regular small bush, with a rounded habit, about 80 cm (1 ft) in all directions on average. Its stems, reddish when young, lignify with age. They bear slender, medium-sized, thick and leathery leaves, dark greyish-green in colour, sometimes turning red in autumn. They are arranged in four ranks all around the branches, with a regular angle of about 90° (194 °F). Flowering takes place in June-July and sometimes continues in September if the soil remains moist, in the form of large inflorescences resembling large spikes. Each cluster has a light appearance, due to the long stamens that protrude from a multitude of small blue-mauve flowers, very bright, becoming white when ripe. Some spikes are therefore bicoloured. Light pruning in early spring and after flowering is recommended to maintain a compact habit and a neat appearance to this Hebe.

With relatively slow growth and relatively low hardiness, Hebes are generally placed alongside perennial plants because their usage is closer to these than to shrubs. The 'Wiri Image' variety, on the other hand, has sufficient development to be included, in favorable climates, among other flowering shrubs. You could place it in front of yellow or white roses for a fresh and striking contrast of colours and shapes. In summer its flowers also go well with buddleias, in a mix of colours, as well as with the silver foliage of artemisias. In a seaside garden, it can be combined with e.g. Escallonia, Myrtus, Oleanders, Evergreen Ceanothus, Callistemons or even with small-sized Grevilleas like 'Mount Tamboritha'. Elsewhere Hebes can be grown in large pots on the terrace, to be stored in a bright, unheated place during winter.