Hebe Mrs Winder
Overview
Hebe Mrs Winder is a stunning evergreen shrub that brings dramatic year-round colour and texture to the garden. This exceptional New Zealand native is renowned for its striking purple-bronze foliage and abundant violet-purple flowers, making it one of the most ornamental hebes available. Perfect for gardeners who appreciate plants that offer both spectacular foliage colour and reliable flowering performance throughout the growing season.
Key Features
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Distinctive Foliage: Rich purple-bronze leaves that intensify in colour during cooler months
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Spectacular Flowers: Masses of violet-purple flower spikes from summer through to autumn
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Compact Size: Reaches 80cm-1m in height and spread, ideal for smaller gardens
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Year-Round Interest: Evergreen foliage provides continuous colour and structure
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Hardy Nature: Tolerates coastal conditions and typical British weather
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Pollinator Magnet: Highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects
Appearance & Characteristics
Foliage
The lance-shaped leaves are the star feature of this hebe, displaying rich purple-bronze tones that become more intense during autumn and winter months. In warmer conditions, the foliage may appear more bronze-green, but the purple undertones remain prominent. The leaves are arranged oppositely along reddish-purple stems, creating a harmonious colour palette throughout the plant.
Flowers
From July through to October, Mrs Winder produces dense, bottlebrush-like spikes of violet-purple flowers that emerge from the leaf axils. Each flower spike can reach 8-10cm in length and is packed with tiny individual blooms. The flowers create a stunning contrast against the dark foliage and are particularly striking when backlit by autumn sunshine.
Growth Habit
Forms a naturally rounded, bushy shrub with a slightly spreading habit. The growth is dense and well-branched, creating an attractive mounded shape that requires minimal pruning to maintain its form. Young growth often displays the most intense purple colouration.
Growing Conditions
Soil Requirements
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Drainage: Excellent drainage is essential - will not survive in 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 a wide range of pH levels from slightly acidic to alkaline (pH 6.0-8.5)
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Fertility: Prefers moderate fertility - overly rich soils can reduce the intensity of foliage colour
Light Requirements
Performs best in full sun, where the purple foliage colour develops most intensely. Will tolerate partial shade but may become more green and flower less prolifically. Morning sun is particularly beneficial for enhancing foliage colour.
Climate Tolerance
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Hardiness: Hardy in most of the UK (RHS H4), may need protection in very exposed or extremely cold locations
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Coastal: Excellent tolerance to salt spray and coastal winds
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Drought: Good drought tolerance once established, though benefits from occasional watering in prolonged dry spells
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Urban: Tolerates air pollution and urban conditions well
Planting & Care
Planting
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When: Best planted from March to October, avoiding periods of extreme weather
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Spacing: Allow 1-1.2m between plants for informal hedging, or use as specimen plants
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Preparation: Improve heavy clay soils with horticultural grit or sharp sand
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Depth: Plant at the same depth as in the container, ensuring good soil contact around roots
Ongoing Care
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Watering: Regular watering in the first year; drought tolerant once established
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Feeding: Light application of balanced fertiliser in spring, though not essential
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Pruning: Light pruning after flowering to maintain shape and encourage bushier growth
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Winter Protection: In exposed locations, consider fleece protection during severe frosts
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Mulching: Apply gravel or grit mulch to improve drainage and suppress weeds
Garden Uses
Design Applications
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Foliage Contrast: Exceptional for creating dramatic colour contrasts in mixed borders
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Specimen Planting: Outstanding as a focal point in smaller gardens
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Coastal Gardens: Ideal for seaside locations where salt tolerance is essential
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Mediterranean Gardens: Perfect companion for other drought-tolerant plants
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Container Growing: Excellent in large pots and planters
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Low Hedging: Creates striking informal hedges with year-round interest
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Wildlife Gardens: Valuable late-season nectar source when many other flowers have finished
Companion Plants
Combines beautifully with silver-foliaged plants such as artemisia, santolina, and lavender cotton. Also pairs well with ornamental grasses, hardy geraniums in pink or white, and other purple-foliaged plants like heuchera. Yellow-flowering plants create particularly striking contrasts.
Seasonal Interest
Spring
New growth emerges with intense purple colouration, and the plant begins to put on fresh growth after winter.
Summer
Peak flowering begins in mid-summer, with the first flower spikes appearing amongst the purple foliage.
Autumn
Flowering continues at its most prolific, with masses of violet-purple spikes creating a spectacular display. Foliage colour intensifies as temperatures cool.
Winter
Maintains its evergreen foliage throughout winter, with purple tones becoming more pronounced in cold weather, providing valuable colour when the garden is at its most dormant.
Pest & Disease Resistance
Generally very healthy with few pest or disease problems.
Varieties & Alternatives
Mrs Winder is often considered one of the finest purple-foliaged hebes. Similar varieties include Hebe Red Edge and Hebe Purple Queen, though Mrs Winder is particularly noted for its reliable flowering and intense foliage colour.
Summary
Hebe Mrs Winder is an exceptional garden plant that offers year-round beauty through its striking purple-bronze foliage and abundant violet-purple flowers. Its compact size, hardy nature, and spectacular colour make it invaluable for creating dramatic effects in both traditional and contemporary garden settings. Whether used as a specimen plant, in mixed borders, or as an unusual hedging plant, Mrs Winder delivers outstanding performance with relatively low maintenance requirements. For gardeners seeking a plant that combines structural evergreen presence with seasonal flowering interest, this remarkable hebe is an outstanding choice that will provide years of garden pleasure.
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.