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Any ideas what’s happened to my poor hebes?

fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
in Problem solving
They were fabulous until a few weeks ago and gone downhill. 🙁 any advice on how to rescue them? Thank you x
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Look waterlogged.  :/
    Have you a pic from further out? How are they being grown - pots, ground? There seems to be a lot of other stuff in among them, with slug damage too. 
    The variegated ones aren't as tough as the plain ones, so they cope less well with rough weather etc.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    @Fairygirl  Awwww 😕 so do they not like much water then? Yes some slugs have been across… not touched some plants at all, others destroyed! Any natural slug deterrents? They are in the ground… is there any way of me reviving them… I have a couple elsewhere and ones got no leaves on hardly… do rabbits eat them? I’m sure I saw a rabbit nibbling but thought no surely not that… 😬 
    any advice for restoring these plants would be greatly appreciated 💛
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited August 2021
    They need well drained soil and a reasonable amount of sun. If you're in a wet area, you'll need to amend it well enough to suit them. If you can't do that, you can grow most of them in containers. 
    Rabbits eat everything IME, or at least, will have a go at eating most things. 
    Slugs will have a go at most things too, although I've rarely had problems with them on Hebes, so you either need to use a chemical deterrent , or pick them off at night when they're most active.
    A healthy plant will have less damage though. All the usual so called deterrents people love to recommend don't work that well [sheep's wool, shells etc] so grow plants hard, and be vigilant if you can.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    That doesn’t look like one Hebe plant, it looks to me like several cuttings all put in one place,  Hebes usually have one main trunk.

    You say ‘they’ were fabulous a few weeks ago,  how long have they been in the ground?

     I think if they were cuttings or young plants they would be better being potted up individually,   Picked out in the middles to promote bushyness and kept sheltered until they’ve grown on a bit. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I thought that initially @Lyn, but I'm not sure - it looks like the middle's been flattened and is splayed out. There's a label in with them too. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    Hi @Lyn and @Fairygirl - it is indeed one plant in that picture… I have two in that border both the same… the other two planted elsewhere look healthy - bar one consumed by rabbits! 
    I planted them in March this year 😕 it’s pretty well drained soil there I think… it’s quite a shady spot to be honest… maybe that could be the issue… x
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Sun would be better, but it does look very wet there. They can cope with a bit of shade, but waterlogged roots are a no no  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    On closer inspection… tidied it up - all leaves come off… there is new growth at bottom and on stems 😀
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398
    The new growth is now dying off… do hebes need to be mega dry then? I hadn’t watered for sometime due to someone saying they looked like had too much water… do I just need to leave then dry? For how long? I thought they were meant to be quite hardy plants but they’re the only ones in my border not doing well… can anyone off any advice? Thank you 😊
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 398

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