The fact that this Hebe variety has been around for many decades and has not been displaced by the many new hybrid Hebes shows what an excellent plant it is. The cream and green foliage is beautiful, and stays that way all year round, joined by the light purple, showy, brush shaped for many months in spring, summer and autumn.
Because it’s a compact shrub, growing less than a metre high and nicely rounded, Hebe ‘Waireka’ fits easily into gardens of limited dimensions, but it’s also bold enough to be included in larger gardens. It is easy to grow, happy in any well drained soil, drought tolerant once established, able to take tough coastal conditions - in short a valuable shrub for gardens everywhere.
Team it up with other Hebes, especially blue and violet flowered ones such as ‘Ohau’ and ‘Wiri Image’, and white flowered ones such as ‘Champagne’ and ‘White Cloud’, and low growing, almost forever flowering Parahebe ‘Snowcap’. In gardens where the soil is good, Hebe ‘Waireka’ looks enchanting as a foreground to sky blue flowered Dichroa ‘Blue Sapphires’, dusky blue Caryopteris ‘Black Knight’. Add rich blue Lithodora ‘Heavenly Blue’ and mauve-blue Scabious ‘Butterfly Blue’ to fill the gaps in front and there’s a pretty scene.
In gardens near the sea, Hebe ‘Waireka’ mingles charmingly with other tough shrubs. Try it with lavenders, low growing rosemary, succulents, compact and ground hugging coprosmas, native grasses, smaller leucadendrons, shapely yuccas and silvery astelias. Plant them so they merge together and you have a tapestry effect which is easy on the eye and needs very little maintenance.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants