For winter foliage Think hebes

They may not be the first plant that springs to mind at this time of year, but the leaves of many hebes look their best right now – and they’re surprisingly hardy, says Graham Rice

- Graham Rice

YOU are probably more likely to associate hebes with the warmer months. Given their ability to provide a summer and autumn of prolific flowers in blue, purple, reddish, lavender, pink or white, sitting amongst glossy foliage, it’s hardly surprising that they’re seen as essential summer shrubs. But many have also proved themselves as colourful and dependable evergreens for sunny sites.

True, hebes may not be completely hardy right across the country, but they’re so easy to root from cuttings that we can easily raise our own spares. An old favourite of this type, the purpleflowered ‘Silver Queen’, also features variegated foliage, creating an all-yearround display. And there are wellestablished, smaller-leaved, neater and much hardier varieties, including ‘Quicksilver’, the silvery grey foliage of which is the main feature.

But that’s only part of the story. The never-ending search for easy, dependable and colourful plants for winter colour has led to the development of a succession of neat, small-leaved evergreen hebes whose foliage colour is at its best in winter.

Of course, these also flower, often for many months; and although the spikes tend to be fairly small and tight, with pairs at every leaf joint and the leaf joints so close together, the overall display can be impressive.

‘Nicola’s Blush’ was probably the first of these hebes to garner attention, and there are now quite a few – many looking rather similar, it has to be said – some with good summer flowers as well as colourful winter leaves. I’d always suggest popping along to your garden centre in January and simply picking the ones whose colouring appeals the most. Some garden centres will organise a whole display of different varieties.

Short and sweet