The original cuttings (1989) came from an old plant (still there, I think) just inside the Elizabeth Gate at Kew Gardens in Surrey. It’s in full sun but the plant looks much better in shade – big glossy, healthy leaves that never seem to be sullied by pest or disease. It will grow quite happily in full sun but the leaves become slightly bleached yellow – not so dark green and glossy. There’s a strap line we’ve always used on a very robust Hebe we grow – “Kill this and give up gardening“. I think we could safely say the same about this. It occasionally bears little red fruits. The flowers are yellow and frothy but not showy. It seems indifferent to soil type, cold or heat and will grow to 6ft x 6ft in about 5 years.
Severe frost (-4°c or below) will give the leaves a glazed, pendulous look. It can look terminal but it’s not. It’s quite dramatic and the first time you see it, you will almost undoubted say “Oh dear“. They recover wonderfully well as soon as the temperature rises.
N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.
As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.
Hardy anywhere in Britain below approximately 1000ft (300m)
This is only meant as a guide. Please remember we're always on hand to give advice
about plants and their frost hardiness.
Please remember that these coloured labels are only a rough guide.
General Point about Plant Hardiness: The commonly held belief that it's better to
'plant small' is perfectly true with herbaceous plants, but not necessarily true
with woody plants. They need some 'wood' on them to survive severe cold - so plants
of marginal hardiness in very cold areas should really be planted LARGER, rather
than smaller, wherever possible.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.