Growing Veronica (Speedwell)

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Veronica Plants

By Catherine Boeckmann
Veronica spicata - Speedwell
Masaki Ikeda/Wikimedia Commons

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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.

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

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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I cutback my Red Fox

Submitted by Jeanne Webb on April 16, 2014 - 1:03pm

I cutback my Red Fox Speedwell last week.I also have a garden full of Waterperry Blue Speedwell groundcover.Should I cut them back as well.It's early spring and they already have new growth on them.I live in zone 6. Help! I can not find any information on cutting back this wonderfull groundcover.

We usually cut back speedwell

The Editors's picture

Submitted by The Editors on April 22, 2014 - 9:39am

We usually cut back speedwell in the fall. It's fine to cut back now. Just look for the buds and snip back to one or two buds.

I live in IN during the

Submitted by Sandra Vinson on September 3, 2013 - 11:04am

I live in IN during the summer and leave state early Oct. When should I cutback my Speedwell?It is 2 years old.

After the first killing

The Editors's picture

Submitted by The Editors on September 6, 2013 - 8:22am

After the first killing frost, cut back stems to an inch or two above the soil line

Pages

Growing Veronica (Speedwell)

Botanical Name Veronica
Plant Type Flower
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Type Loamy
Soil pH
Bloom Time Spring, Summer, Fall
Flower Color Blue, Pink, Purple, White
Hardiness Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Special Features Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies

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