The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
Veronica sect. Hebe is a group of plants within the genus Veronica, native New Zealand, Rapa in French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands and South America. It was formerly treated as the separate genus Hebe. It includes about 90 species. Almost all species occur in New Zealand, apart from Veronica rapensis and Veronica salicifolia, found in South America. The section and former genus is named after the Greek goddess of youth, Hebe. Informally, species in the section may be called shrubby veronicas or hebes.
Veronica is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Plantaginaceae, with about 500 species. It was formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae. Common names include speedwell, bird's eye, and gypsyweed.
Veronica peduncularis, the creeping speedwell, is a flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. Listed under its synonym Veronica umbrosa, its cultivar 'Georgia Blue' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
The Hebe Society promotes the cultivation and conservation of hebes and other New Zealand native plants.
Veronica prostrata, the prostrate speedwell or rock speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to Europe. Growing to 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tall, it is a temperate semi-evergreen prostrate perennial plant. As it forms a mat of foliage, it is suitable for groundcover or in the alpine garden. Blue flowers are borne in summer, in terminal racemes above paired leaves.
Veronica albicans, synonym Hebe albicans, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to New Zealand.
Hebe odora, known as the Boxwood hebe, Mountain-box, ‘Veronica odora’ or ‘Hebe buxifolia’, is a plant in the family Plantaginaceae, and it is native to New Zealand. Hebe is the most abundant flowering plant genus in New Zealand, and it is an important part of New Zealand's natural landscape. Hebe odora was discovered on the Auckland Islands by J.D Hooker in 840. A certain amount of confusion later arose following its collection on mainland New Zealand by Ernst Dieffenbach and its naming as Hebe buxifolia by George Bentham. Even overseas, Hebe odora is still not infrequently known as Hebe buxifolia. Hebe and its relatives probably evolved from within the Veronica complex of the Northern hemisphere. In fact, until the 1920s, plants in Hebe were considered to be species of Veronica.
Hebe pimeleoides is a flowering plant of the family Plantaginaceae. It is endemic to the dry mountains of Marlborough and Canterbury, in South Island of New Zealand. It is a low-growing, evergreen shrub, reaching 60 cm in height, with grey-green, spear-shaped leaves that are 7–10 mm long. Flowers are pale lilac.
Hebe recurva is a flowering plant of the family Plantaginaceae, which is endemic to the north-west area of Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand. It is an evergreen shrub, reaching 60 cm (24 in) in height, with gray, spear-shaped leaves that are 2–4 cm long. Flowers are white.
Veronica austriaca, the broadleaf speedwell, large speedwell, Austrian speedwell, or saw-leaved speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, native to northern temperate Europe. Growing to 90 cm (35 in) tall by 60 cm (24 in) broad, it is a mound-forming herbaceous perennial, with deeply toothed leaves and erect spikes of bright blue flowers throughout summer.
Lawrence James Metcalf (1928–2017) was a New Zealand horticulturalist, botanist, conservationist and author of gardening and plant identification books. Metcalf popularized and advocated for the planting of native or indigenous plant species in both public and private gardens and pioneered their propagation techniques (horticulture). In 1991 the British Royal Horticultural Society recognized his work on the cultivation of New Zealand's native plants, with the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal.
Veronica cinerea, called the ash-coloured speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Veronica, native to Turkey and Lebanon/Syria. An evergreen, mat‑forming perennial useful as a ground cover, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica macrantha, the large-flowered hebe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to New Zealand. As its synonym Hebe macrantha it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica pinguifolia, the disk-leaved hebe or thick-leaved speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to the South Island of New Zealand. Under its synonym Hebe pinguifolia, its cultivar 'Pagei' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica rakaiensis, the Rakai hebe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to the South Island of New Zealand. As its synonym Hebe rakaiensis it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica vernicosa, the varnished hebe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to the South Island of New Zealand. As its synonym Hebe vernicosa, it and its cultivar 'Mrs Winder' have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica catarractae, the waterfall parahebe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to New Zealand. Under its synonym Parahebe catarractae, its cultivar 'Delight' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica lyallii is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to New Zealand. Under its synonym Parahebe lyallii, its cultivar 'Julie-Anne' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Veronica incana, the silver speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to parts of Eastern Europe and Russia, all of Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China, and has been introduced to Czechoslovakia. A number of authorities consider it to be a subspecies of the spiked speedwell Veronica spicata; Veronica spicata subsp. incana. It is a parent of the hybrids Veronica × czemalensis and Veronica × grisea.
