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Hebe
Also called Speedwell, Speedwells, Speedwells And Hebes
Hebes are a group of about 90 shrubby species in the genus Veronica (formerly genus Hebe), mostly native to New Zealand, grown as evergreen ornamental shrubs. They suit temperate gardens and coastal sites, and are easy to grow in most soils.
Veronica sect. Hebe is a group of plants within the genus Veronica, native to New Zealand, Rapa in French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands and South America. It was formerly treated as the separate genus Hebe (). It includes about 90 species. Almost all species occur in New Zealand, apart from Veronica rapensis (endemic to Rapa) and Veronica salicifolia, found in South America. It is named after the Greek goddess of youth, Hebe. Informally, species in the section may be called shrubby veronicas or hebes.
Hebes are widely grown as ornamental plants (see Cultivation below).
Hebes are valued in gardens in temperate climates as evergreen shrubs with decorative (sometimes variegated) leaves. The flowers, in shades of blue, purple, pink or white, appear throughout summer and autumn. Their ability to withstand salt-laden winds makes them especially suited to coastal areas, for instance the South West of England, where they are often grown as hedges. Prostrate varieties can be used as groundcover.
Hebes cope with most soil types, and can be propagated easily from both seed and cuttings. Wild hybrids in section Hebe are uncommon; however, there are many cultivated hybrids, such as Veronica × franciscana.
Veronica Recurva · American speedwell · Water speedwell · Corn speedwell · Broadleaf speedwell · European speedwell · Fiordland Parahebe · Pink Water-speedwell · Ash Coloured Speedwell · Dillenius' speedwell · Silver Speedwell · Veronica liwanensis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Veronica sect. Hebe by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
