Once belonging to one of the species of Veronica, the chebe plant was isolated in a separate genus. Both Veronica and Hebe are representatives of the same Norichen family. These evergreen shrubs are divided into two groups. One combines non-winter-hardy species grown in pots and tubs. The second included partially winter-hardy varieties.
Habitat
Some confusion within the family led to confusion with the botanical names of the two plants - Veronica and Hebe. However, despite this, it is reliably known that about 140 plant species belonging to the genus Cheb are found on the territory of New Zealand and the Australian continent. In addition, shrubs are comfortable in the vastness of South America and New Guinea.
Botanical Description
Heb has two life forms: spectacular dwarf shrubs and trees reaching seven meters in height. Small exotic shrubs are similar to conifers. Their leathery leaves look like needles of conifers. Cheb plant blooms in summer. Flowers bloom in his axillary vertical brushes. The color of the flowers depends on the variety. They are painted in shades of white, blue and carmine red.
Painstaking breeding experiments allowed us to bring out beautiful views of the cheb. Popular among gardeners, Anderson's Cheb. Managed to gain fame garden form Variegata, which impresses with variegated leaves. Distributed and carmine-red species of shrubs. Gardeners gladly grow Evelyn, Seduisant, which, due to their striking similarities, are often confused with callistemon.
Growing
In Russia, almost all varieties of shrubs are grown as a houseplant. The plant in the open ground is not able to withstand spring-autumn frosts and harsh winters. In the garden, attempts are being made to grow only relatively low varieties belonging to the sixth zone.
Not every cheb can withstand the conditions of a cold, snowless winter. A plant in the open ground (wintering for him is a real ordeal) may well die.
Gardeners are advised not to take risks and grow a sissy as a container culture. In winter, the shrub should be kept in a well-lit cool room. He feels great in winter gardens or on glazed loggias, where the temperature is in the range of 5-10 0 C.
They try to keep the plant dormant until spring days. While daylight hours are short, strive to prevent its growth. If the bush suddenly rushed to growth, provide artificial lighting that prevents the stretching of the shoots and loss of brightness of the color of the leaves.
In the spring, when the period of severe frost passes, the plants are taken outside. At the same time, heb bushes are left in tubs or pots. It does not make sense to grow a plant in open ground. In the fall, containers with a hebe are returned to the winter garden.
Care
In the garden, on balconies and loggias for a thermophilic plant, choose a windless corner, well protected from adverse natural phenomena. Bushes sensitive to cold, when threatened with frost, are cleaned in warm rooms. The ornamental plant of chebe requires the same care as many other evergreen shrubs, which for wintering require premises where it is rather cool.
In the summer, with an interval of two weeks, the bushes feed. Calcined fertilizers are not suitable for feeding. The earthen lump is kept moist, bearing in mind that the hebe plant is intolerant of drought. Care for the bushes also consists in daily spraying in the spring and summer.
Any soil is suitable for growing flowering bushes. They develop well even on depleted soils. But they do not tolerate clay soil. A favorable temperature for the plant is considered to be + 20-22 0 С. The heat adversely affects the bushes, their leaves fall and flowering stops.
Heba needs bright lighting. The bushes are not afraid of direct sunlight. However, they grow well in shaded corners. True, in the shade of a heb is not capable of lush flowering. In addition, the shoots begin to stretch very much even with slight shading.
In the spring, the hebe plant is necessarily transplanted. The bush is carefully removed from the container, being careful not to damage the roots. Without shaking off the earth, it is transplanted into a larger container. Peat, sand, charcoal are mixed with the planting soil. The bottom of the container is covered with expanded clay.
Breeding
In spring, cuttings that are capable of rapid rooting are cut from the bushes. Rooted cuttings are repeatedly pinched. As a result, a lush compact bush with an abundance of twigs is formed. Pinching does not affect the number of inflorescences.
