Parahebe perfoliata
Parahebe perfoliata• Click here to visit our Main Plant List page for current availability of this plant
• flowering season: summer
• height: 18 inches
• Light requirements: sun
• Soil requirements: undemanding as long as the soil is well drained
• Water requirments: average to low
• Growth habit: spreads underground
• How to propagate: digging and dividing part of a plant
• Leaf type: evergreen bluish-green leaves
• Ways to use it: although this plant is interesting, even beautiful, it is not the best plant for a garden because it travels and won't stay where you plant it; we like it best planted in a pot
• Special characteristics: glaucous leaves highlighted by light lavender-blue flowers
A native of Australia, this evergreen plant survives to a winter temperature of 10°F. It used to be listed as a Veronica, the flowers of them being similar. Today the naming of the plant is in dispute, the English giving it this name, parahebe, while the Australians give it the name, derwentia. In our mild, coastal climate its leaves are evergreen, and appear exactly as those of a eucalyptus. Never growing taller than about eighteen inches, it does run and spread underground, not as a thick groundcover but more openly. It can take much drought once established. This is still a novelty that surprises many gardeners. We have heard it said once or twice, "I never knew a eucalyptus had blue flowers !"