PerennialsDiscover the right perennial plants for your garden.
Magic Show ® ‘ Purple Illusion ’ spike speedwell . picture by : Proven Winners
For gardeners with limited sentence , choose carefree plants is key to a humiliated - maintenance yard . Speedwell ( Veronica ) is a tough ornamental that is patient of of unlike grime and lacrimation needs , with varieties that are brave in most regions . size and forms range from grovel groundcover a few inches high to erect flower spike reach several feet marvellous . low-pitched cultivator are suited for containers , borderline edging and rock gardens , while taller veronicas make honorable cut heyday and combine well with other plants in bed and borders . Groundcovers tend to flower in saltation , while spiky forms produce bloom during the summertime .
There are more than 500 specie ofVeronica , with origins in the main in Europe . almost all are long - lived perennial , especially those grown by home gardeners , though a small percent are annuals . Veronica peak are attractive to hummingbirds , butterflies and pollenate insects , making them eco - friendly , too .
On this pageboy : The Basics|Planting Instructions|Care|How to pick out the Right Veronica|Varieties|Landscaping Tips
SPEEDWELL BASICS
Zones:
3 - 9
Height/Spread:
3 to 48 inch tall , 8 to 24 column inch wide
Exposure:
Veronica bloom best with at least 6 hour of full sunlight , but can tolerate partial spook .
Bloom time:
From spring to descend , some with repeat bloom .
Color and characteristics:
heyday fall in blue , purple , white or pink ; with green , amber , or silver gray foliation . Groundcover types produce a profusion of midget individual flowers or curt blossom spike ; and summer blooming , taller varieties , have bunch of flowers that spring up in spikes .
Toxicity:
Veronica is not thought to be toxic to humans or pet . Some are edible , while others have herbal or medicative quality .
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Magic Show ® ' White Wands ' spike speedwell . exposure by : Proven Winners
When to plant:
Transplant during nerveless month in leap or fall to avoid heat accent . Start seed indoors in late winter or other spring , 4 to 6 weeks prior to your last median rime - free engagement . Sow seeds directly out of doors in mid - late spring after all peril of frost is preceding .
Where to plant:
Choose a sunny site with rich , well - draining soil . Veronica can tolerate a reach of soil conditions and is drouth - tolerant once establish . Planting in too much spectre can ensue in fewer flowers .
How to plant:
Loosen soil to the depth of the container and twice the diam , and mix in compost . Remove the plant from the container and mildly tease out the solution if potbound . cut into a maw and place the flora so the top of the radical formal is level with the soil airfoil . Gently tamp down down soil around the base and body of water well . Spacing will variegate from 10 to 20 inches depending on the assortment . When arise from seed , press seeds gently into the soil but do n’t cover , as light will assist in germination . Keep moist until seminal fluid evolve in approximately 14 to 21 days .
CARE TIPS
Pruning and maintenance:
For upright type , cut back pass efflorescence just below the spike to boost rebloom . Taller varieties may ask post . All type can be divide in spring or pass every few years as demand , especially if dieback occurs at the center of the plant .
Soil:
Most veronicas do best in improve , well - draining soil . They are resistant of corpse or Baroness Dudevant , as well as neutral , alkaline , or acid pH.
Amendments & fertilizer:
In spring , cover soil around the plant with a thin level of compost , then add two column inch of mulch to suppress smoke and economise moisture . ward off enshroud the crown of the plant with either the compost or mulch .
Watering:
piss once a week during summer , or more as need during hot spell .
Diseases and pests:
When implant in the ideal situation , veronica is resistant to most blighter and diseases . If planted in too much tincture , veronica can produce fungal diseases such aspowdery mildew , rust fungus and foliage office . Poor drain can cause root rot . dirt ball problems includescale , wanderer jot , andthrips .
Deer resistance:
Veronica tends to be cervid - resistive , though extreme conditions can lead in deer grazing on plants they would n’t otherwise .
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT VERONICA
With so many mixture , here are some bakshish to consider :
For slopes, walls and bedding displays:
expend varieties with a vigorous distribute wont to cover large areas .
For edging, paths and rock gardens:
flora groundcover type along pathways , in between pavers , at the border of borders , or in a rock garden in compounding with other alpine plants .
For containers, hanging baskets and window boxes:
Use groundcover varieties that will drop back over the sharpness and works in combining with other flora with mounding and upright habits . small spiky types can also be combined in containers with other plants with exchangeable grow need .
For mixed borders:
meld upright variety with other summer - blossom perennials and bush .
VARIETIES TO TRY
picture by : Proven Winners .
Magic Show ® ‘ Purple Illusion’—Buy now from Proven WinnersSpike veronica , Veronicahybrid
Zones:4 - 8Height / Spread : Clump - organize drug abuse , 16 to 18 inches tall and wideExposure : Full sunshine to partial shadeBloom Time : early on to mid summer
Rosy - purple flower baton add up people of color to bedding displays , along pathways and borders , or in containers with other plants .
Magic Show ® ‘ Pink Potion’—Buy now from Proven WinnersSpike veronica , Veronicahybrid
Zones:4 - 8Height / Spread : mound diffuse habit , 14 to 16 inches tall and 18 to 22 inches wideExposure : Partial to full sunBloom Time : Early - mid summertime
Flowers best in Lord’s Day , cut back after blooming . Perfect for container or front to middle of borders .
Magic Show ® ‘ White Wands’—Buy now from Proven WinnersSpike speedwell , Veronicahybrid
Zones:4 - 8Height / Spread : Mounding spreading habit , 14 to 16 inches marvellous and 16 to 20 column inch wideExposure : Full sunlight to partial shadeBloom Time : Early - mid summer
The clear bloodless flower people of color cools down the garden during blistering summertime months , combining well with many other plant life .
pic by : agatchen / Shutterstock
Royal Candles ( syn . ‘ Glory’)Dwarf spike speedwell , Veronica spicata
Zones:3 - 8Height / Spread : mound upright habit , 8 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 18 column inch wideExposure : Full sunBloom Time : Early - previous summer
Its exceptionally long bloom of youth time and small stature make it ideal for smaller spaces , along borders , in container , or massed in a bedding presentation .
pic by : photowind / Shutterstock
‘ First Love’Speedwell , Veronicahybrid
Zones:4 - 8Height / Spread : Upright circulate drug abuse , 16 inches improbable and 12 to 18 inches wideExposure : Full sunBloom clock time : ahead of time - late summer
This exceptionally long bloomer has uniform branching that produces a proliferation of peak spikes . Use at the edge of borders or pathway , in a rock garden , or in a container with other works .
Photo by : Chris Forbes / Alamy Stock Photo
‘ Icicle’Spike speedwell , Veronica spicata
Zones:3 - 8Height / Spread : Mounding unsloped drug abuse , 20 to 24 inches tall and 12 to 24 inch wideExposure : Full sunBloom metre : Early - previous summer
The tall stature makes a program line in a large - scale landscape when mass in a assorted or cottage - flair moulding . counterpoint with hot chromaticity , or combine with cool shades of lavender , pink , and blue . Good excision heyday .
exposure by : Janet Loughrey
‘ Georgia Blue’Creeping speedwell , Veronica peduncularis(syn . V. umbrosa )
Zones:6 - 8Height / Spread : fawn disperse habit , 6 to 8 inch tall and 12 to 18 column inch wideExposure : Full sunBloom Time : Early - mid spring , possible sparse rebloom in late summerColor : azure blue flowers with a white mall , medium dark-green foliage
Tolerant of a variety of conditions , this low , mat - make ground cover has saucer - shaped efflorescence and green leaf colour with bronze and spreads pronto .
LANDSCAPING TIPS
There are many ways to incorporate this authentic perennial into any landscape painting . Here ’s how :
