Hebe (Veronica odora): when and how to prune

Hebe (Veronica odora): when to prune it?

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After flowering, in August, plus a light tidy in April.

What else to prune in those months? April · August

Hebe (Veronica odora): how to prune it?

1. Cut or clip off the spent spikes together with a few centimetres of young shoots.
2. Clip a hedge with a slight batter, base a little wider than the top, so light reaches the bottom.
3. In April: remove dead or frost-damaged twigs back to healthy wood, which only shows clearly in May.
4. A dome stays round with a light trim every year, always within green wood.

How much to cut, and how often?

• There are 2 pruning periods a year: April and August. You don’t have to prune in every one.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in April and August can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Hebe (Veronica odora) flowers in June–July, when it attracts bees.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Hebe (Veronica × franciscana)
• Hebe (Veronica albicans)
• Hebe (Veronica pinguifolia)
• Hebe (Veronica rakaiensis)
• Koromiko (Veronica salicifolia)
• Whipcord hebe (Veronica ochracea)

Plant profile: Hebe (Veronica odora) · Pruning calendar and basic rules