Hebe Inspiration

Hebe 'Inspiration' (Hebe 'Inspiration') is a rounded evergreen shrub for cool and coastal gardens, about a metre tall and a metre across. Purple flower spikes cover it through the warmer months and the bees work them hard from first light. It takes salt wind and frost without complaint, a rare combination in a plant this tidy.

Why you'll love it

• Purple spikes over a long season. Flowering runs for months rather than weeks, and each spike sits clear of the foliage so the plant reads purple from a distance.
• Frost and salt in the same plant. Frost hardy, salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so it works on a cold southern block and an exposed beachside one.
• It keeps its shape. A natural 1m dome of small glossy leaves, dense to the ground, with no shearing needed.
• Bees and butterflies. One of the more reliable nectar plants for a small garden, flowering at a useful time for pollinators.
• Low maintenance. One light trim after the main flowering is the entire annual job.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 60cm apart for a continuous low border. At that spacing the domes meet without crowding, and the row stays furnished at the base instead of lifting into bare stems.

Mass planting. The same 60cm spacing works for a bank or a wide sweep, and the long flowering carries colour when most shrubs are between shows.

Coastal gardens and pots. Salt and wind tolerance suit a front line coastal position. In a courtyard, a pot 350mm or wider works long term, provided the drainage is real.

Growing Hebe 'Inspiration' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it copes with a few hours of shade. This is a cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean plant. Hebes come from New Zealand and dislike long humid summers, so subtropical and tropical gardens bring fungal leaf problems and a short life.

Soil. Free draining and only moderately fertile. Rich, wet ground causes root rot faster than anything else you can do to it. On clay, plant on a mound and work coarse compost through the bed.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then weekly in dry spells. A light dressing of controlled release fertiliser in early spring is enough, since overfeeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after the main flowering, taking the spent spikes and a few centimetres of growth. Never cut into thick bare wood: hebes reshoot poorly from old stems.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six. Tube plants are small, often 10cm to 15cm, and take two seasons to make a border. The 140mm and 200mm plants are bushy young shrubs that flower in their first season.

Hebes travel well because the foliage is small and firm, though some flower drop in transit is normal. Plant into free draining soil, water in, and expect roots to move within three or four weeks. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Plants that feed bees and butterflies
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens
• Hebe 'Elegance Blue' for a smaller 80cm mound
• Ideas for low growing border plantings

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a border?

Sixty centimetres apart gives a continuous low border within two seasons. Each plant reaches about a metre across, so that spacing lets the domes meet and overlap slightly.

Will it grow in a subtropical or tropical garden?

Not well, and we would steer you elsewhere. Long humid summers bring on downy mildew and root rot. Cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens suit it far better.

How long will it live?

In a suitable climate with sharp drainage, expect five to eight good years before it opens up at the base. Many gardeners replace a run rather than trying to rejuvenate it.