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Hebe Baby Marie
Overview
Hebe Baby Marie is a delightful compact evergreen shrub that brings year-round structure and seasonal colour to any garden. This hardy New Zealand native is perfectly suited to British gardens, offering exceptional value with its neat, rounded form and reliable flowering performance. An ideal choice for gardeners seeking low-maintenance plants that deliver consistent results.
Key Features
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Compact Growth: Reaches 60-80cm in height and spread, making it perfect for smaller gardens
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Evergreen Foliage: Maintains attractive green leaves throughout the year
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Abundant Flowering: Produces masses of small white flowers from late spring through to autumn
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Hardy Constitution: Tolerates coastal conditions, drought, and typical British weather
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Pollinator Friendly: Attracts bees and butterflies to the garden
Appearance & Characteristics
Foliage
The small, oval leaves are a fresh green colour with a slightly glossy finish. They're densely packed along the stems, creating a neat, rounded bush that looks tidy even without pruning. The foliage provides excellent structure in winter when many other plants have died back.
Flowers
From May through to October, Baby Marie produces clusters of tiny white flowers that almost completely cover the plant at peak flowering. The blooms are delicately fragrant and create a cloud-like effect across the shrub's surface. Each flower is approximately 5mm across with prominent stamens that add textural interest.
Growth Habit
This hebe forms a naturally rounded, dome-shaped bush that rarely requires pruning to maintain its shape. The growth is dense and even, making it an excellent choice for formal plantings or as a low hedge.
Growing Conditions
Soil Requirements
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Drainage: Essential - will not tolerate waterlogged conditions
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Soil Type: Thrives in most well-draining soils including sandy, loamy, or chalky ground
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pH: Adaptable to slightly acidic through to alkaline conditions (pH 6.0-8.0)
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Fertility: Moderate fertility preferred - avoid overly rich soils which can cause soft growth
Light Requirements
Performs best in full sun to partial shade. In shadier positions, flowering may be reduced but the plant will still provide excellent foliage structure.
Climate Tolerance
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Hardiness: Fully hardy in most of the UK (RHS H4-H5)
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Coastal: Excellent tolerance to salt spray and coastal winds
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Drought: Good drought tolerance once established
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Urban: Tolerates air pollution well
Planting & Care
Planting
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When: Plant from March to October for best establishment
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Spacing: Allow 80cm-1m between plants for hedging, or plant as single specimens
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Preparation: Improve heavy clay soils with grit or sharp sand to enhance drainage
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Depth: Plant at the same level as in the pot
Ongoing Care
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Watering: Water regularly in the first growing season; drought tolerant once established
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Feeding: Apply a balanced fertiliser in spring if desired, though not essential
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Pruning: Light pruning after flowering to maintain shape if required
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Mulching: Apply a thin layer of grit or gravel mulch to suppress weeds and improve drainage
Garden Uses
Design Applications
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Mixed Borders: Excellent as a structural plant among perennials
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Low Hedging: Creates neat, informal hedges up to 80cm high
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Containers: Thrives in large pots and planters
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Coastal Gardens: Ideal for seafront properties
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Wildlife Gardens: Valuable nectar source for pollinators
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Winter Interest: Provides year-round structure when herbaceous plants have died back
Companion Plants
Pairs beautifully with other Mediterranean-style plants such as lavender, rosemary, and santolina. Also complements ornamental grasses, hardy geraniums, and other New Zealand plants like phormiums.
Seasonal Interest
Spring
Fresh new growth emerges, and the first flower buds begin to form in late spring.
Summer
Peak flowering period with masses of white blooms covering the entire plant.
Autumn
Flowering continues into early autumn, with seed heads forming as flowers fade.
Winter
Maintains its evergreen foliage, providing valuable structure and colour in the winter garden.
Pest & Disease Resistance
Generally pest and disease free.
Summary
Hebe Baby Marie is an outstanding choice for gardeners seeking a reliable, attractive, and low-maintenance shrub. Its compact size, extended flowering period, and evergreen nature make it invaluable in both traditional and contemporary garden designs. Whether used as a specimen plant, low hedge, or container subject, this versatile hebe delivers consistent performance with minimal fuss - the hallmark of a truly garden-worthy plant.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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£17.99 |