Re: Pronunciation and cultivation of Hebes
Marina & Anthony Green wrote:
>
> I thought this was a very interesting posting, one that could perhaps only have taken place on the
> net. As a virtual gardening community, we tend to do our garden talking by writing, whereas my mother, an expert gardener, probably heard someone say the word Hebe (pronunciation Hee Bee) before she read it.
Hi
Your posting seems to have been only half answered, so i will try to
deal with the second paragraph.
> More importantly, would these beautiful shrubs thrive in Sarasota, Florida? I'm
> > in Zone 10, which is classed as semi-tropical, but I can, and do, successfully
> > grow some medit-type plants. We have hot, (92 to 98F) humid summers with daily
> > rainshowers and mild, bone-dry winters. Soil is sandy.
I think you might have some difficulty growing any Hebes successfully in
Florida which would be both hotter and more humid than most of them are
used to. The majority of wild Hebes hale from the cooler and generally
drier parts of New Zealand, including the mountains. Only a very few
(such as H speciosa) grow naturally in the warmer regions round Auckland
or further north and even these places are warm temperate in climate
rather than the nearly tropical conditions of Florida.
People who try to grow older varieties around Auckland tend to find them
short-lived and very subject to leaf spot diseases. To help counteract
this the Auckland Botanic Garden has in recent years introduced the very
pretty Wirri series of cultivars designed to cope better with this
particular climate. If by any chance thes are available in the States
they would probably give you the best chance of success.
Failing these H. speciosa and its hybrids would be your best bet I
should think.
Growing them hard in a lean sandy soil may also tend to help their
health and prolong their useful life.
Moira
> > Thanks,
> > Julie Finn
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata,
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
