Topic: What is this?

[Gardengirl]

I have this pretty bush in my garden.  I think it may be a hebe - can anyone please confirm :-\

[Mrs Ava]

oooo doesn't look like a hebe to me, but then I have no idea what it is, so it could well be! Is it evergreen, and how tall is it?  Tis lovely Pat, what a gorgeous shock of baby pink!

[Palustris]

Almost positive it is not a hebe, flowers look the wrong shape to me and hebes tend to flower after mid-summer (here anyway). Is it possible to  get a close up of a leaf and flower? And is it scented, evergreen? height?

[Hugh_Jones]

Difficult to be certain from the photo, but it looks to me very much like Daphne retusa

[sandersj89]

I will go with the Daphne as well.

One of the give aways will be if it is very scented, one of my fav plants right now along with the Exochorda which has brust into flower in my garden over the last few warm days. Wonderful stuff!

Jerry

[Gardengirl]

I have looked up Daphne retusa in my RHS Encyclopedia and I must admit it does look very like it but the flowers are more pale lilac than pink and it does not have a scent (although I took a sniff just after it had stopped raining today). Maybe the scent is more prominent in the evening and I should try again tonight?  I have taken a more close-up photo of the flowers and leaves.  At the moment it is growing very near some tall conifers so that may be restricting its growth.  Seems to be growing outwards rather than upwards as is seen by my first photo so it's only about two feet max.  Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

[Palustris]

We thought Daphne too, but the lack of scent is a bit puzzling. Colour wise it is very like D. x burkwoodii Somerset, but that does not usually get leaves until after flowering. The buds are a bit pale for D retusa and most of the hybrids available. My book on Daphne is a bit out of date, black and white photos only!

[Gardengirl]

Looks like I was right in the first place :D  Have searched 'hebes' and come up with this one:
Hebe 'Baby Marie' - small green leaves closely arranged on reddish brown stems, and very pale lilac flowers in late April/May.  It is a dwarf hebe.  This is the photo from the site I searched.