Hebe Autumn Glory

Hebe 'Autumn Glory' is an excellent hybrid shrubby veronica with remarkably long and late flowering. This relatively hardy bush is easy to grow in regions where winter is not too harsh. This variety naturally forms a beautiful, compact and dense evergreen cushion, adorned with young reddish-purple shoots and leaves of a beautiful dark glossy green bordered with red. It begins to bloom around June, disappearing under numerous spikes of deep blue-violet flowers. The flowering continues until late autumn, sometimes even until December. The plant is disease-resistant, undemanding of the nature of the soil and drought-resistant once well established in the garden. It is also an excellent plant for the terrace.

Hebe 'Autumn Glory' is a fairly old cultivar, discovered in 1912 in Northern Ireland. It is said to be a cross between Hebe pimeleoides and Hebe 'Franciscana'. Like all Hebes, it belongs to the family of scrophulariaceae and is similar to perennial veronicas. It forms a small, regular bush with a compact and somewhat spreading habit, measuring about 65 cm (25.6 in) in height and 80 cm (31.5 in) in spread. Its reddish stems, which stiffen with age, bear thin elliptical leaves, about 2.5 cm (1 in) in length, thick and leathery, shiny dark green with red edges. Flowering begins in June and ends in November-December, in the form of simple lateral inflorescences resembling thin and long spikes of 5 cm (2 in). They are composed of a multitude of small flowers: the flower buds, delicately tinged with white, reveal the richness of their deep blue-violet robe upon blooming. Pruning after flowering is recommended to maintain a compact habit and a neat appearance for this shrubby veronica.

With relatively slow growth and relatively hardy (down to -7°C (19.4 °F) for 'Autumn Glory'), Hebes are sometimes classified with perennial plants because their use is closer to them than to shrubs. The variety 'Autumn Glory', has a naturally compact and dense growth that is well suited for ornamenting terraces and balconies, mixed with heathland plants or creeping rosemary, for example. In favourable climates, it can create well-groomed and flowering borders throughout the summer. In cold regions, Hebes can be grown in large pots on the terrace, to be stored in a bright, unheated room during winter.