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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Veronicas
Veronica, also called speedwell, is a carefree and easy-to-grow perennial flower with vertical or ground cover forms and blooms of purple, blue, pink, or white. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for lovely Veronicas.
About Veronicas
There are many types of speedwells, ranging from groundcovers only a few inches tall to upright plants with tall, spikey blooms. They all belong to the genus Veronica, which has hundreds of species. There are spring and summer blooming varieties, with some flowering until autumn frost.
With so many species of Veronica, there is one suitable for almost any growing zone in the US. As a genus, they are hardy from USDA zones 3-11, although individual species have a more narrow range.
Check the tag or the seed packet to be sure a particular speedwell is hardy in your climate. Just because it is at the garden center doesn’t mean it will survive the winter.
So many cultivars of Speedwell are available, and some common names have been used to refer to hybrids from several different species. Check the tag to be sure you are getting the one you want.
Is Speedwell an Upright or Groundcover?
As a quick guide, upright, spiky veronicas for cut flowers or use as taller bedding plants are often cultivars of V. longifolia, V. spicata, and V. austriaca. They may be called spiked speedwell, Hungarian speedwell, or long-leaved speedwell.
Groundcover veronicas are frequently cultivars of V. alpina, V. repens, V. prostrata, V. pectinata, and V. gentianoides. They go by common names like creeping speedwell, gentian speedwell, or creeping veronica.
Planting
Veronicas love full sun and, once established, are drought-tolerant—all varieties like well-drained soil. Upright speedwells will grow and bloom better in fertile soil with some compost worked in.
Many groundcover types are happy with rocky, lower-fertility soils. They are an excellent choice for rock gardens and will fill in between pavers or cascade of small rocks.
The ground cover varieties are slower spreaders, so purchase accordingly or divide plants the next year to help them cover the area more quickly.
When to Plant Veronicas
Transplants can be planted in the spring. (Veronica can be sowed by seed in containers in a cold frame in autumn, but most people start this perennial as a transplant from the nursery.) Plant them out after your last frost date has passed.
Plants purchased from a nursery or garden center greenhouse should be hardened off before planting.
How to Plant Veronicas
Plant veronicas the same way as other perennials, taking into account their sunlight and soil needs.
- Loosen the soil and mix in compost. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the plant’s container.
- When placing the plant in the hole, ensure the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.
- Water thoroughly after planting and weekly until well rooted.
- Apply mulch to keep weeds down and keep the soil cool and moist.
- If the plants are not yet branched, pinch to promote lateral growth and a bushier habit.
Types
- ‘Crater Lake Blue’ (V. austriaca) is a mat-forming perennial that grows 12 to 18 inches tall with beautiful, deep, gentian blue flowers in early summer. Hardy in USDA zones 4-8. Great for mass plantings.
- ‘Sunny Border Blue’ (V. spicata) is a clump-forming perennial with erect spikes of tubular, dark violet-blue flowers that reach 18-24 inches. This hybrid blooms from early summer to frost and makes excellent cut flowers.
- ‘Red Fox’ (V. spicata) has deep pink flowers on a narrow spike similar to ‘Sunny Border Blue’ but is a bit shorter, at about 12-16 inches. Hardy to USDA zones 3-8 for the northern gardener!
‘Dick’s Wine’ (V. prostrata) is a ground cover that grows to about 4-8 inches tall and produces an abundance of rose-wine–colored blooms—so many that they actually hide the dark-green foliage. Easily divided as they grow for quicker coverage. Drought tolerant once established and deer resistant.
Andy Wilcox
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my speedwells are about 18 inches and there is no spikes no fllowers
I have what I think is a Veronica plant that I've had for 10+years and there is less of it than there was years ago. I would like to get more but I can't find any that are the same as what I have. Mine grows to over 5 feet and has to be tied up to keep it upright. Most varieties I see are not nearly so tall. Is it Veronica?
It sounds like you have the plant called Veronicastrum (probably Veronicastrum virginicum). It's available from garden nurseries specialising in herbaceos plants - such as Beth Chatto's. I have been growing this plant for many years. It's loved by bees, and in early summer is covered with worker bumble bees. It can be propagated by cuttings in late spring/early summer. Feeding this plant with some fresh soil enriched with mushroom compost works wonders...most flowering plants love the lime compost.
Because of the size, it sounds as if you likely have a Butterfly bush (Buddleja/Buddleia) which has similar spier shaped clustered flowers- however is more of a bush that grows to approx 16ft.
Sorry, I don't have much of a green thumb as my grandmother did. She could start a plant off of about anything! We received a beautiful vase arrangement that contained beautiful speedwell. One of the blooms even has another shoot starting to grow off of it. What is the best way to start a new plant? Are the blooms the seeds? Can you grow root from these cuttings in the vase? Your help is greatly appreciated! I love this flower and would love to start in my own yard. Thank you!
You might be able to start a cutting. Here is some guidance: http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/pubs/oh5cuts.html
If it fails, remember you can purchase an existing plant and enjoy it immediately—then divide it over and over again through the years.
Wechave experienced a very wet spring and summer in Southern Ontario. I have had my veronica plants for over 10 years in E facing garden. They are always beautiful and I get 2 to 3 blooming periods a year due to deadheading. This year they are taller and have fallen in a circle. The bottom leaves have turned brown and crispy. I cut them all down to the ground level (july 20) in hopes they will grow again. Did I do the wrong thing.
Overwatering and heavy rains can cause speedwell to fail. Your cutting it down is not a bad thing; that’s recommended at the end of season, so you’re just ahead of schedule. As a perennial, it should come back next year. To help it through heavy rains in the future, you might want to work the soil a bit to ensure tha it is well draining. Ten years is a lot of time and the plants and soil may be packed it. (This will not necessarily eliminate problem in a similarly wet year but it could minimize the effect on the plants.)
Hello, my speedwells looked so healthy and flowered beautifully their first round of flowers. When I deadheaded them to encourage a new set of flowers I noticed they appeared to have some black spot on their leaves, like I've seen roses get. Can speedwell get black spot too and how can I prevent it from getting worse? Thanks!
It could be overwatering. Make sure that the soil drains well and let the plants dry out between waterings. Watering at night could also cause some of the browning of the leaves if they get wet and stay moist all night. It’s recommended to water Veronicas early in the day to give the foliage a chance to dry before nighttime. If you’ve experienced frequent rain, amend the soil to improve drainage—as well as you can without disturbing the plant.
