Dear Helen: After several years of neatly controlled behaviour in our garden, a hebe suddenly exploded into exaggerated growth this summer. I don鈥檛 have the variety name, but the leaves are large and glossy.
G.A.
Among these popular evergreen shrubs, the broad-leaved types like yours are most commonly grown. A sudden growth spurt could occur as the result of a certain degree of establishment in a garden. The significant changes in our seasonal temperature patterns could also play a part in unusually exuberant growth.
Most hebes respond well to a heavy spring pruning, though regrowth can be slow. It鈥檚 always preferable to keep a plant as compact as possible by a routine clipping back from the time it is young. Once a hebe begins blooming, cut back by half all the flowering stems.
The prospect of cutting an established evergreen shrub back severely can make gardeners nervous. If you wish to try this but are feeling unsure, take a听cautious path and do a test pruning. Cut back a portion of the shrub鈥檚 stems severely in the spring and just lightly trim the rest of the plant. Wait to see how the hard-pruned stems regrow. If you鈥檙e pleased with the regeneration, cut more or all of the plant back in the same way the following spring.
If you鈥檙e not happy with the results, or tire of the waiting game, replace the overgrown plant in the spring.
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Dear Helen: I鈥檓 looking for information on a small shrub called 鈥渨all germander.鈥� I keep running across references to it and wonder where it might fit into my garden. Do you know of a source?
B.G.
Wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) is a small evergreen perennial or sub-shrub with small, glossy, dark green leaves shaped like miniature oak leaves, and rosy summer flowers. It thrives in light, well-drained to dryish (once established) soil in sun.
This under-used, minimal-maintenance plant is versatile. It鈥檚 a useful edging plant or ground cover, is attractive as听a听single specimen, and the plants also make a handsome 30-centimetre high border hedge that is easily kept neat with post-bloom shearing in summer. Solitary plants are kept neat and听compact with a heading back听in late winter and again following the summer flowering period.
Wall germander is an ancient medicinal plant, used by the Greeks for coughs and asthma. In Medieval times the plant was used as a treatment for gout.
To get a plant, call a few of your local garden centres to find one that will be stocking wall germander in the spring. The mail order source Richters Herbs (Richters.com) in Ontario sells wall germander plants and seeds.
听
GARDEN EVENTS
Heather presentation. The Vancouver Island Heather Society meets tonight from 7 to 8:30 at Sylvan United Church, 985 Shawnigan Mill Bay Rd. Jeff DeJong will speak about companion plants for heathers. There will be heather displays, prizes and refreshments. Admission, $5.
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Nursery seminars. Dinter鈥檚 Nursery, 2205 Phipps Rd. in Duncan, offers these free classes at 10 a.m. on a Saturday:
鈥� Cuttings and propagation, Oct. 8, with Della, Dinter鈥檚 greenhouse manager.
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鈥� Winterizing your pond, Oct. 15, with Scott Stevenson of Van Isle Water Services.
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HCP classes. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is offering the following courses. To register call 250-479-6162. hcp.ca.
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鈥� Plant Identification and Culture. The next session in this ongoing, monthly course (can be joined at any time) is on Saturday, Oct. 15, 1 to 4 pm. Cost to members per session is $35, others $45. Cost for 12 sessions: members $350, others $450.
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鈥� Composting Basics with the Compost Education Centre on Saturday, Oct. 15, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Cost to members $15, others $20.
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鈥� Mushroom Companions to the Farm and Garden with Danielle Stevenson, Sunday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Members $35, others $45.
