Hebe speciosa Tricolor - Shrubby Veronica

Hebe speciosa 'Tricolor' is a superb shrubby Veronica with a compact and bushy habit, ornamental throughout the year. Its evergreen foliage, variegated with olive green and creamy white, takes on shades of pinkish purple when new leaves emerge. In early summer, the bush is adorned with spikes of purple-violet flowers, creating a beautiful contrast against the variegated foliage. Only hardy in mild climates, it can be planted in most moist, well-drained soils, in full sun or partial shade in the south. Elsewhere, its compact growth makes it easy to grow in a container to protect it during winter.

Historically classified among the Scrophulariaceae, the Hebe genus has been transferred to the Plantaginaceae family alongside about a hundred others, such as the Ruin-of-Rome or Cymbalaria muralis, a charming little perennial ideal for covering an old wall. Commonly known as shrubby Veronica, Hebe is woody and not herbaceous like true Speedwells. Dozens of species are known, mainly native to New Zealand, Australia, and to a lesser extent, South America. The first introduction to Europe dates back to 1775 when George Forster brought back a Hebe elliptica from a famous Captain Cook expedition.
Hebe speciosa was collected in New Zealand by Allan Cunningham around 1820. In its country of origin, it forms a shrub that can reach up to 1.50 m or even 2 m in height. In summer, it is particularly attractive when covered for almost two months with dark purple-red flower spikes that then bloom in bluish-mauve tones. The lateral inflorescences measure 3 to 7 cm and are almost vertically erect, giving the plant a proud appearance (speciosa meaning beautiful or remarkable in Latin). In Europe we mainly encounter the numerous hybrids it has given rise to.

'Tricolor' is a variegated form, with significantly more modest growth, reaching around 80 cm in height and width (from 60 to 100 cm depending on the conditions). The compact bush easily branches out quite low, with many slender upright stems that give it a very bushy appearance. The gradually turning woody, purple-brown stems bear opposite decussate leaves, meaning each level is shifted by 90° from the next, thus forming a cross when viewed from the front. The evergreen leaves are elliptical to slightly obovate (the widest part being in the upper third of the lamina). They are leathery with a glossy surface and are often tinted with pinkish purple when they appear at the end of a branch, creating a stunning visual effect against the variegated foliage. Adult leaves are irregularly margined with a creamy white band, creating a pleasant contrast with the olive green midrib. During summer, the low bush produces a very decorative flowering, in the form of 6 to 7 cm long spikes, made up of small dark purple flowers that harmonise perfectly with the bicoloured foliage.

Hebe speciosa 'Tricolor' is a very beautiful decorative plant all year round, which will easily find a place in gardens in a mild climate. It will be great in mild regions, planted as a low hedge or at the front of a varied plant bed. It is well-suited to seaside locations that protect it from extreme frost and will blend in nicely in a bed, where you can plant a 'Tuxedo' Ceanothus in the background, with its dark purple foliage that will enhance its variegated white and creamy foliage. Escallonias will also be very good companions with their showy summer blooms, as well as a Callistemon bush, the famous bottlebrush plant with its brush-like flowers that bloom in spring, often flowering again later in the season. Thanks to its small size, which can easily be maintained if necessary by annual pruning, you can also use it as a superb flowering pot plant in cold regions, which you can shelter in a bright frost-free room during winter.