Boxleaf Hebe

Boxleaf Hebe (Hebe buxifolia) is the low evergreen shrub to use where English box struggles with wind and salt. It forms a tight, naturally rounded dome about 1m tall and wide, clothed in small glossy leaves right to the ground, and carries short spikes of white flowers through the warmer months. For a clipped low hedge in a cool or coastal garden it is one of the easiest plants available.

Why you'll love it

• Neat without constant clipping. The dense rounded habit holds shape on one or two trims a year, not the four a formal box hedge demands.
• Handles wind and salt spray. Coastal and wind tolerance make it a rare hedging option for exposed seaside and hilltop blocks.
• Frost hardy. It shrugs off cold winters, so it works in tableland and southern gardens where many hedging shrubs burn.
• Feeds bees and butterflies. The white flower spikes are useful forage on a plant most people grow purely for foliage.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart in a single row for a dense low hedge. At that spacing the plants meet within two seasons and hold a clean line at knee to waist height.

Mass planting. The same 60cm spacing in blocks gives an undulating green surface that suppresses weeds.

Coastal gardens and pots. It takes salt laden wind on a front boundary, and a single plant suits a 400mm pot flanking steps or a gate.

Growing Boxleaf Hebe in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, densest in full sun. It belongs in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. Humid tropical and subtropical summers are its weak point, where muggy air brings leaf spot and thinning, so northern gardeners want a native alternative.

Soil. Well drained soil of almost any type. On clay, mound the bed 200mm and work compost and coarse grit through, then mulch 50mm deep, kept off the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then water only in extended dry spells. One application of a balanced slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough for the year.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down. Trim after the main flowering flush and again in late summer if needed. Avoid cutting into bare old wood, because hebes reshoot poorly from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, a 140mm pack of ten, and a 200mm pack of six. Tubes are the value option for a long run, closing about a season behind the larger grades. The pack of ten covers six metres of hedge at 60cm spacing, and the 200mm pack of six arrives already bushy for a shorter run or a pair of pots.

Plants travel packed upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect roots to move within a month in mild weather, and top growth from the first spring. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant and maintain a sharp hedge
• Compare our hedging plants
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants
• Browse evergreen shrubs

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Any tighter and the plants compete without closing faster, and much wider leaves gaps that take an extra season to fill.

How does it compare with English box?

It is faster, tolerates salt and wind far better, and flowers. Box holds a crisper formal face under regular clipping, so choose hebe for tough sites and box for a manicured parterre.

Can I keep it lower than a metre?

Yes. Two trims a year hold it comfortably at 50cm to 70cm. Keep the cuts within the leafy outer growth rather than into bare wood.

Why has my plant thinned out in the middle?

Usually humidity, poor air movement or shade. Thin the surrounding planting and trim lightly so air moves through the canopy.