Hebe Icing Sugar

Hebe 'Icing Sugar' (Hebe hybrid) is a neat evergreen bun of a shrub, about 80cm tall and wide, that carries soft pink flower spikes fading to white over a long season. It is frost hardy, salt tolerant and wind tolerant, a rare combination in a plant this tidy. For a cool climate or coastal border that has to look presentable without fuss, it is hard to better.

Why you'll love it

• Two tone flower spikes. Buds open soft pink and age to white, so a single plant shows both shades at once for weeks.
• It holds its shape. A dense rounded 80cm mound that stays furnished at the base without clipping, which is what a low border needs.
• Frost, salt and wind hardy. Cold southern winters and exposed coastal boundaries both suit it, and it is drought tolerant once established.
• Bees work it hard. The flower spikes are a reliable nectar source through the flowering weeks.

Where it works best

Borders and mass planting. Plant 60cm apart for a massed border. At that spacing the mounds touch without crowding, giving a soft continuous edge along a path or a driveway.

Coastal gardens. Salt spray and constant wind do not mark the foliage, so it holds up on beachside blocks in the southern states where many flowering shrubs simply burn.

Pots and small gardens. A single plant suits a 400mm pot by a doorway, and its modest size makes it a sensible choice for a courtyard or a townhouse garden.

Growing Hebe in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with full sun giving the densest habit and the most flowers. This is a plant for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It is worth being blunt about the limit: hebes dislike humid summers, so in subtropical and tropical coastal gardens expect leaf spotting and a short life.

Soil. Free draining above all else. Heavy, wet soils are the other reliable way to lose a hebe. On clay, plant on a raised mound with grit and compost worked through, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water twice weekly through the first summer, then only in dry spells. A light application of complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough; heavy feeding makes soft growth that flops.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after each flush, removing the spent spikes and about 5cm of growth. Hebes are reluctant to reshoot from bare old wood, so keep to a light annual trim rather than letting it sprawl and then cutting it hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown here in two sizes: tube stock, and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tubes are small and take a season to bulk up, so they suit a long border planted patiently. The 200mm plants arrive already branched and close to half their mature size.

Hebes travel well thanks to firm, small leaves. Expect a settling month, then steady growth and first flowers within one to two seasons depending on size planted. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Ideas for low growing border plants
• Browse low maintenance shrubs
• Compare coastal and salt tolerant plants
• Frost tolerant plants for cold Australian gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Sixty centimetres apart for a massed border, which is about three plants per two metres of edge. For individual specimens in a mixed bed, allow the full 80cm width.

Will it grow in Brisbane or Cairns?

It is not the right choice there. Hebes struggle through humid subtropical and tropical summers, and tend to spot, thin out and fade quickly. Southern and coastal temperate gardens are where this plant performs.

Can I cut it back hard?

Better not to. Hebes rarely reshoot from bare old wood, so a hard cutback often leaves permanent gaps. Trim lightly after each flowering flush and the plant stays compact on its own.