Hebes offer that highly prized combination of being evergreen and yet rarely overwhelming. Their leaves stay on the plant through winter, giving structure and a touch of neatness when many perennials are asleep, but most varieties stay within a sensible 60cm–1.5m range. This makes them ideal for front gardens, small borders and drives where you don’t want big shrubs taking over. Variegated and coloured foliage types are particularly good at brightening dull corners and providing contrast with plainer greens.
Common name: Shrubby Veronica
Latin name: Hebe and garden cultivars
Size in UK gardens: Most varieties reach around 60cm–1.5m tall and wide in time, with dwarf forms smaller and taller types a little larger.
Best position: A sunny or lightly shaded, reasonably sheltered spot, ideally out of the very coldest winds so foliage and flowers stay neat.
Soil: Moist but free‑draining garden soil, preferably reasonably fertile; dislikes heavy, waterlogged clay or very dry, stony ground with no added organic matter.
Flowering time: Usually summer into early autumn, with many varieties giving a long season of neat flower spikes above evergreen foliage.
Fragrance: Flowers are usually only lightly scented close up; Hebe is grown mainly for colour, shape and all‑year foliage.
Hardiness: Generally hardy in much of the UK, including many Cambridgeshire and East Anglian gardens, though some forms may suffer in severe or very exposed winters.
Care level: Low to moderate; easy once established, needing regular watering in dry spells and light pruning to keep it compact and flowering well.
The Simpson’s team raises the majority of our trees here at the nursery. For varieties outside our own production, we work with independent local growers we trust - all chosen for UK climate suitability.
Planting time: As container‑grown shrubs, Hebes can be planted in most months when the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged, with spring and autumn usually the easiest times for them to establish.
Watering: Water regularly in the first growing season, especially in dry weather and on sandy soils. Once established in the ground, they usually only need extra watering during prolonged dry spells.
Feeding: A light mulch of garden compost in spring helps keep the soil in good condition. On poorer soils or in pots, a modest application of balanced fertiliser in spring will support strong, flowering growth.
Pruning: Lightly trim after the main flush of flowers to remove spent spikes and keep plants bushy. Older, leggy specimens can be gently thinned, but avoid cutting hard into very old wood if possible.
Winter: Most Hebes are hardy enough for normal winters in sheltered spots, though some foliage may scorch in severe cold. A mulch around the base and a little extra shelter for container plants can help them through harder winters.
Availability is always changing, so please check with us if you have a particular variety in mind.
Foliage does much of the work here, with variegated tones that brighten planting even when flowers aren’t the main event. It’s perfect near the front of borders and in containers, where the colour can be enjoyed up close, and it looks especially crisp set against darker evergreens.
A neat, compact hebe with that well-kept look gardeners love—always tidy, always useful, and very easy to place. It’s ideal for edging and small borders, giving evergreen structure with flowers that add a gentle seasonal flourish rather than a big, brash show.
Deeper tones give this one a slightly moodier, more sophisticated look, perfect for adding contrast in a border. It’s excellent near the front where the foliage and flowers can be appreciated, and it looks particularly good paired with pale greens and silvers for a crisp, contemporary finish.
Refined and fine-textured, with a naturally compact habit that suits small gardens beautifully. It’s perfect for pots, edging and front-of-border planting, where it provides year-round structure without bulk, and it looks best planted in small drifts so the effect feels generous and cohesive.
Glossy foliage gives this hebe a polished, “freshly groomed” look that makes borders and containers feel instantly more finished. It keeps a neat outline through the year, offers a pleasing flowering season, and sits beautifully alongside pale stone, gravel and other clean-textured planting.
A cheerful hebe with a brighter, warmer feel, bringing a lifted note to borders and pots. It’s ideal for adding contrast among plainer greens, and the compact evergreen habit keeps planting looking tidy and deliberate year-round. It’s especially effective placed near paths or seating.
White flowers bring a clean, fresh lift, making this a lovely choice for brightening borders and containers. It’s particularly useful in mixed schemes where you want to soften stronger colours, and the neat evergreen habit keeps it looking smart and structured all year.
A dependable, well-mannered hebe that’s easy to use in borders and pots, bringing tidy evergreen structure and a reliable flowering display. It works particularly well repeated through a bed, where it creates a calm rhythm and that “always looks cared for” finish hebes do so well.
Compact and garden-friendly, with the classic Wiri-series neatness that makes it so useful at the front of borders and in containers. It provides a tidy evergreen framework all year, and flowers add a cheerful seasonal highlight. Particularly effective in repeats for a cohesive, modern look.
A lighter-looking hebe that brightens planting schemes without shouting, bringing a soft, fresh note to borders and pots. It’s ideal near the front where its tidy habit can be appreciated, and it pairs beautifully with grasses and silvers for a clean, contemporary feel.
A dependable hebe with a tidy habit and a fresh, garden-ready look that suits borders and pots alike. It’s ideal for creating low evergreen structure, and it works beautifully in repeated planting where you want rhythm and coherence, with flowers providing a gentle seasonal highlight.
This has that classic Wiri-series usefulness—compact, evergreen and reliably decorative, making it an easy choice for front-of-border planting. It’s perfect for adding a calm, tidy framework to mixed planting, and it looks especially good alongside grasses and other low shrubs for a modern look.
A cheerful, compact hebe with a neat evergreen outline that keeps borders and pots looking smart year-round. It’s ideal near the front of a bed for low structure, and it works beautifully planted in small groups, where the effect feels generous and cohesive, with flowers adding a lively seasonal lift.
A softly coloured, refined Wiri-series hebe with a neat evergreen habit that keeps borders and pots looking composed year-round. It’s perfect near the front where its tidy shape can be appreciated, and it works beautifully repeated through a scheme to create a calm, cohesive framework.
Smart, compact and wonderfully well behaved, with a slightly more formal feel than some hebes. It’s ideal in pots by steps and patios or used as low evergreen punctuation in borders, where it provides reliable structure and a pleasing flowering season without ever looking untidy.
A classic garden hebe group, valued for glossy evergreen foliage and generous flower spikes that bring colour over a long season. Perfect for borders and containers in milder gardens, they provide dependable year-round structure and look best planted in small groups for a fuller, more generous effect.
Bright variegated foliage gives this hebe a fresh, light-lifting look, making it particularly useful for borders that need contrast. It’s excellent in pots and near paths where the leaf detail can be enjoyed up close, and it looks especially crisp beside darker evergreens and clean, modern planting.
