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Veronica (Speedwell): How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Veronica Plants | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Veronica (Speedwell)

Photo Credit
Masaki Ikeda/Wikimedia Commons
Botanical Name
Veronica
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Bloom Time
Spring
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Blue
Pink
Purple
White
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Special Features
Attracts Birds
Attracts Butterflies
No content available.

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Veronica Plants

Catherine Boeckmann
Changed
May 4, 2022
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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.
Growing
  • 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.
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.
Pests/Diseases
Flowers
Perennials

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Comments

Leigh (not verified)

1 year 12 months ago

I'm in a zone 7b, when should i expect my veronica to emerge from it's winter dormancy?

It depends on the weather this year, but we usually see it emerge in early April in northern Texas (which is 7b). Be careful not to overwater Veronica or water from the top to avoid fungus. Use a soaker hose. It likes full Sun and well-draining soil. 

Nicole (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

How do I divide my Veronica?

Leslie Lawrence (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

Bought what was told a veronica but it didn't have flower spires. Does have purple flowers but they form off a 7-8" side sprout. Mine is about a 5 ' plant. Spent blooms turn into fuzzy little blooms!

Michelle (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

Please help.... my husband bought this one for me and it was so purple and healthy 2weeks ago! I transplanted it to a little bigger pot it was good for a week, now the tops are fading, the leaves keep wilting like it's dry, but I check it twice a day. I have quite a few plants on my patio, I am totally learning as I go! So I'm wanting to make it pretty again... should I trim it? As I have read some people do. How... topping it? Trimming the deads...? Thank you!

Julie (not verified)

10 months 2 weeks ago

As birds & butterflies sip/drain the nectar, the spikes appear more pale. Trim and new bright spikes will follow…

Hi, Michelle, be patient. For about ten months (ok, maybe fewer). Your plant was happy and thriving. Then you interrupted that horticultural bliss by ripping it up by the roots. Its top growth felt that pain. The whole plant was stunned, and now it has to reset its roots, make a new start, and settle in. Considering that we’re going into fall, it would have gone dormant in a while so you may not see much recovery or new growth until next season. 

Rose (not verified)

2 years 10 months ago

I purchased some small Veronica Plants and didn’t plant them right away. I forgot to water them. The flowers and the leaves are dried. I planted them anyway because they seem like they still had a pulse. Should I trim them down and hope they’ll bloom for the Summer?
I’m in North Texas

Trimming might do more harm than good. Being perennials, they might come back. Keep them evenly watered (not soaked) and give them some protection from direct hot sun until you see signs of new life.

Julie Slate (not verified)

3 years 7 months ago

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?