Can hebe be grown from seed?
Growing From Seed Hebe seeds are small and mighty. You can sow them in pots or open flats, depending on your seed starting preferences. Surface sow seeds on moist potting soil and press them firmly down. Keep them moist throughout the sprouting process, and place them in partial or dappled shade outdoors. Hebe does best in full sun, in soil that has been enriched with some garden compost. The soil should not be waterlogged but should not dry out too quickly. Plant hebe out at any time of the year and follow up with watering until established.Hebes thrive in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade, ideally sheltered from strong winds. They don’t need rich soils and can tolerate drought.Hebes require a free draining soil to avoid their roots becoming too wet, especially during the colder months. When choosing soil for planting out hebes in containers, you should use either a peat-free multi-purpose compost or a loam-based mix with plenty of horticultural grit added to improve the drainage.
How to grow hebe from seed?
Fill a seed tray with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix. Press mix firmly into tray; water and allow to drain. Sow seed and cover lightly with seed raising mix. Place tray in a warm, shady, sheltered place and mist with water, as required, to keep moist (not wet). Simply put, a little preparation is needed. Wildflower seeds won’t be able to germinate if they are just thrown on top of a pre-existing lawn and even if you scatter them on soil, it needs to be properly prepared and the seeds need to be gently raked in so that they are snug and secure if you want the best results!For the best results, scatter fresh wildflower seeds or seed balls onto a prepared seedbed. When sowing seeds collected from this year’s Seedball wildflowers lightly rake the soil to help the seeds settle in, and then simply let nature do the rest.
Where is the best place to plant a hebe?
Plant your Hebe in full sun or partial shade, sheltered from harsh winds and frost. The size of the variety will determine where to plant them. Some varieties grow quite large and can be grown at the back of a border, and some can be medium to small sizes, which can be grown at the front of a border or in a container. Watering. Hebe planted out in a border doesn’t need any special attention when it comes to watering once it is established. But if you’ve got a new one, make sure you keep it well-watered during the first spring and summer. It’s plants in pots that need a bit more TLC.How to propagate Hebe. You can easily make more hebes by taking softwood or semi ripe cuttings. These are taken from summer to mid-autumn (Jul-Sep) from healthy stems of the current season’s growth. With semi-ripe cuttings the base of the cutting is firm, while the tip is still soft.Hebes are best planted in spring – April or May – when the soil is warming up, which helps them to settle in quickly. There should be a wide choice of healthy young plants available in garden centres at this time too. You should never plant hebes in winter, as young plants are vulnerable to rotting in cold, wet soil.
What is the lifespan of a hebe plant?
What is the lifespan of a hebe shrub? With proper care, these shrubs can thrive for up to 10 years. But hebes are also naturally short-lived plants with an average maximum lifespan of a decade, so another possibility is that your hebe is naturally at the end of its life.
Can I grow a hebe from a cutting?
You can easily make more hebes by taking softwood or semi ripe cuttings. These are taken from summer to mid-autumn (Jul-Sep) from healthy stems of the current season’s growth. With semi-ripe cuttings the base of the cutting is firm, while the tip is still soft. Hebes grow best from semi-ripe cuttings. The best time to do this is from July to September. Look for stems which have grown this year where the base of the stem is slightly woody but the top 10cm to 15cm (4in to 6in) is soft and green. The best stems will be at the top of the plant and fully exposed to the sun.Begin the process as soon as your hebe starts to look sad, and by the time you need to remove it you will have a new plant ready. Cuttings can be taken from mid July until early September. Using sharp secateurs, cut off stems of the current season’s growth that are about 15-20cm long.Cut back back dead flowers and up to a third of foliage in late summer, after flowering, to encourage strong new growth and a good bushy shape. Hard pruning (pictured, above) can rejuvenate an old hebe plant and give it an extra lease of life.