By Amundy
Gloucestershire,
United Kingdom 
I have just seen a bush (about 4ft high) growing happily in dense shade with attractive slightly fragrant flowers - can anyone identify it for me please? The flowers are blue on one panicle (partly open), and the fully open ones are white. Thank you for your help.
4 Jul, 2011
Answers
Yes, Hebe and I think Beattie is correct about it being Midsummer Beauty
4 Jul, 2011
:-) Pretty, isn't it!
4 Jul, 2011
Marvellous. Thanks so much - the RHS Encyclopedia has a very precise description of the plant - apart from the dense shade, and the underside of the leaves are green, not red-purple. Anthea
5 Jul, 2011
I'm wondering if this is actually a young Hebe 'Hidcote' instead - that carries lilac and white flowers at the same time, whereas Midsummer Beauty has shorter leaves than these look, and the flowers fade to white rather than being mixed.
6 Jul, 2011
Thanks - we hope to go to Hidcote in a few weeks time, so they may have a picture of it in flower!
7 Jul, 2011
Gets over a metre eventually, think something like 1.8m if left alone.
7 Jul, 2011
Previous question
« Our Strawberries have produced only leaves and no flowers. Why could this be?
That looks like some sort of Hebe to me, but I'm sorry, I don't know which one. It 'could' be Midsummer Beauty, but I'm not certain.
4 Jul, 2011