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Growing Veronica (Speedwell)
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Veronica Plants
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Veronica Plants
Masaki Ikeda/Wikimedia Commons
Veronica, also called Speedwell, is a carefree and easy-to-grow perennial with long spikes of small petals in purple, blue, pink, or white. Here’s how to grow veronica in your garden!
This attractive plant grows in clusters from 1 to 3 feet tall, and blooms from spring to autumn.
There is also a bushy ground cover variety (Veronica prostrata), which features dense clusters of flowers and grows to only about 10 inches tall.
Planting
- Grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun.
- Plant 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.)
- 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.
Care
- Water in the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
- Stake tall varieties.
- Keep covered with a thin layer of compost, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture.
- Deadhead to extend bloom time.
- After the first killing frost, cut back stems to an inch or two above the soil line.
- Divide perennials in autumn or spring every few years.
Pests/Diseases
- Scale insects
- Downy mildew
- Powdery mildew
- Rust
- Leaf smut
- Root rot
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Crater Lake Blue’ is a mat-forming perennial that grows 12 to 18 inches tall with beautiful, deep gentian blue flowers in early summer.
- ‘Sunny Border Blue’ is a clump-forming perennial that grows to 20 inches tall and bears erect spikes of tubular, dark violet-blue flowers from early summer to late autumn.
- ‘Red Fox’ has very deep pink flowers on a narrow spike and grows as a mat-forming perennial to 12 inches tall, blooming from early to late summer.
- ‘Dick’s Wine’ is a ground cover that grows to about 10 inches tall and produces an abundance of rose-wine–colored blooms—so many that they actually hide the dark-green foliage.
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Reader Comments
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Veronica
We had a very wet and cold spring..My Veronica came up and had scantly stems and blossoms, nothing like what it usually looks like..then it all turned brown and got o.i cut it all down to about 5 inches and it's been 2 weeks and finally this morning I see new growth all over the stems I am so happy I love this plant and watch the bees and other insects visit it often. I'm thinking of dividing it what do you think.or I should wait?
sunny border blue speedwell
I have some very small plants, will they bloom the first year?
blue speedwell
Often many perennials won’t bloom the first year planting as they are established to their new home. If not, by the second year, this variety should have showy blooms and show a significant increase in plant size or something is problematic (plant, weather).
Red Fox Speedwell
I picked up 3 plants 8/8/18. I would like to plant them around a tree that has a brick border. Is too late to plant them and will they thrive in a location like that? It does get full sun, it is Alaska, which says zone 3 and up to 11.
Thank you,
Barb
speedwell planting
Hi Barb,
Depending on where one lives in Alaska, one might be in Zone 1 to 8. If you are in Zone 3, however, this is the coldest limit of this cultivar, and your plants should do fine. (You might want to offer a little winter protection, such as a thick layer of mulch, especially that first winter to protect the roots as they establish themselves.) Choose a site that has full sun, as you have, and make sure that they have well-drained, loamy soil. The plants have shallow roots and do best in even moisture. Now into early fall is a good time to plant.
Overwatering?
I recently purchased a beautiful Speedwell from a garden center. I planted it and all was well for the first few days but then it began to droop so I started watering more frequently thinking that it was not getting enough water. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it might actually be the opposite problem and that I am in fact drowning the poor thing! If I leave it alone for several days without watering do you think it will recover? Thanks!
Veronica Speedwell
I have 2 very healthy plants with tons of blooms in dappled shade garden. I put a layer of garden soil every 2 years, water and voila! So pretty with the Shasta Daisies all in bloom and some pink dianthus in front. I divide them every 3 years...
blue speedwell
my speedwells are about 18 inches and there is no spikes no fllowers
Veronica
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?
Speedwell
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.
Gary Hill's 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.
Speedwell - Can you start off of a current cutting?
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!
starting cuttings of speedwell
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.
Veronicas overgrown
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.
heavy rains
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.)
Black spot on Veronica?
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!
black spots
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.
Veronica
These flowers also attract bumblebees, which made them unpopular with my young son. But I plan to add them to my garden at our new place. I didn't have any trouble growing them.
Royal candles
How do you dead head speedwell plant
Deadheading Speedwell
To deadhead, cut the entire spent spire (flower) off down to a set of two healthy leaves.
Veronica Speedwell deadheading
my plants continue to put out new blooms and the bees are crazy about it. i have yet to see a spent spire.
Veronica
Got plant on sale is it too late to plant in late June in Denver,CO? thanks
Veronica/Speedwell
I just bought Veronica flowers the first of July. Can I get away with planting it now? I'm in Nashville, TN.
Veronica
I have 5 Veronica plants a few years old. The groundhog ate them down kind of low when they were starting to grow. Will they still grow and bloom or did he ruin them for the season. The greens are starting to grow again currently.
Veronica
If you are seeing new growth, then they are on their way! You will likely see some blooms.
veronica high plant-4foot plus
1 saved seed spikes last fall, would like to start new plants from seed this spring. any advice would be appreciated/ we live in Manitoba,Canada.
thanx
The seeds are very tiny and
The seeds are very tiny and sometimes hard to see. Start some seeds indoors in containers or a flat. Moisten the potting soil first and then press the seeds into the soil but do not cover with soil. Cover the containers with plastic and put in a sunny spot. When seedlings emerge remove the plastic and water if the soil is dry. When the soil outside is warm and you have no more cold nights sow some seeds directly in the garden. Transplant the indoor seedlings after frost danger has passed. Space them about 10 inches apart.
veronica
do u have any veronica to spare , I have some seeds to spare ,what are u looking for :)
Our Veronica [Speedwell]
Our Veronica [Speedwell] looks like it burned up! All of the spring and summer rains were keeping it looking wonderful. Then we suddenly had 90+ degree days. Is there a chance she is still alive?
Hi, Nadine, Veronica is a
Hi, Nadine,
Veronica is a perennial, so it normally dies back in the fall. The temp shift may have hastened the process—or it was coincidental to the plant's normal decline. It's probably fine—er, still alive, just resting until next spring.
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