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How to Grow Veronica Flowers (Speedwell): A Complete Care & Planting Guide

Speedwell, Veronica
Photo Credit
l.lika/shutterstock
Botanical Name
Veronica spp.
Plant Type
Flowers
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 Butterflies
Attracts Songbirds

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Veronicas

Written By: Andy Wilcox Master Gardener and Gardening Contributor

If you’re dreaming of a garden bursting with color, charm, and a little bit of whimsy, look no further than Veronica flowers, better known as speedwell. These cheerful bloomers come in a rainbow of purples, pinks, blues, and whites, and they’re just as easygoing as they are eye-catching. Whether you want a ground-hugging carpet of blossoms or tall, spiky stems for your cut flower arrangements, there’s a speedwell variety waiting to shine in your yard. Ready to get planting? Let’s dig in!

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. 

Veronica Longifolia, known as garden speedwell or longleaf speedwell, in the garden. Credit: Gabriela Beres
Veronica Longifolia, known as garden speedwell or longleaf speedwell, in the garden. Credit: Gabriela Beres

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. 

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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.
Veronica spicata, spiked speedwell plant with blue flowers. Credit: Kabar
Veronica spicata, spiked speedwell plant with blue flowers. Credit: Kabar

Growing

Like many perennials, speedwells don’t need much help once they are established. 

  • During the first year, water in the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Afterward, water only if needed during prolonged dry spells.
     
  • Tall varieties can benefit from some staking, especially in windy locations. 
     
  • Topdress with compost every spring (a great idea for all your perennial plants) and apply new mulch as necessary. 
     
  • Deadheading may extend bloom time. Some varieties will rebloom if their spent flowers are removed. 
     
  • Like other perennials, you should divide them every few years to reinvigorate the clump. You’ll also get more veronica! Low-growing groundcover veronicas are especially suited to dividing to keep the patch fresh and speed up their coverage.

Overwintering Speedwell

While many veronicas are cold hardy to USDA zone 4 and some are tolerant to zone 3, you can give them a hand in colder climates by cutting back the stems to an inch or two above the soil line after the frost. Cover the crowns with a thick layer of straw or other mulch. 

A couple of stakes and some old netting or chicken wire will help hold the mulch against the wind until the snow arrives to anchor it.

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!
Veronica spicata 'Rotfuchs' Red Fox in the garden. Credit: Irenestev
Veronica spicata ‘Rotfuchs’ Red Fox in the garden. Credit: Irenestev

‘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. 

A prostrate speedwell. Credit: APugach
A prostrate speedwell. Credit: APugach

Harvesting

  • Some varieties of Veronica make excellent cut flowers. For the longest vase life, bring a vase or jar with you and cut in the morning, placing them immediately in water–don’t wait until you get them up to the house.
  • Remove any foliage that would be submerged in the vase.
  • Add flower food, keep the bouquet out of direct sunlight, and change the water daily (good practice for all fresh-cut flowers from the garden). 

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Wit and Wisdom

  • Speedwell has been used as traditional medicine in Korea and China for more than 100 years for respiratory problems like asthma and COPD.  
  • Some veronicas will drop their lower leaves in summer. After the first bloom flush, a good trimming will promote more low foliage and encourage more flowers. 

Flowers
About The Author
Andy Wilcox

Andy Wilcox

Master Gardener and Gardening Contributor

Andy Wilcox is a freelance writer, flower farmer, and master gardener with over 25 years of experience in gardening, horticulture, and forestry. He is the co-owner of Stone’s Throw Flowers, a business...
Read More from Andy Wilcox

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Comments

<span>Kate</span> Sat, 08/03/2024 - 13:26
My ground cover Veronica’s seem to flop to the outside so there aren’t any blooms or leaves in the middle. Any suggestions appreciated!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/joe-bills">Joe Bills</a> Wed, 09/25/2024 - 09:34

Your problem is not an uncommon one, but it may take a bit of experimentation to determine an exact cause. The most likely culprit is that your soil is too rich, causing the blooms to grow faster and larger than the stalks can support. The Wisconsin extension service and Pennsylvania horticulturist George Weigel offer some helpful hints at the links below.

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/ground-cover-veronicas/

https://www.pennlive.com/gardening/2010/04/floppy_veronica.html

 <span>Mary Freeman</span> Sat, 01/27/2024 - 07:58
Will Speedwell grow well in 9a?
<span>Leigh</span> Mon, 03/22/2021 - 10:20
I'm in a zone 7b, when should i expect my veronica to emerge from it's winter dormancy?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sun, 03/28/2021 - 11:49

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. 

 <span>Nicole</span> Sun, 08/23/2020 - 16:36
How do I divide my Veronica?
<span>Deborah Stemp</span> Tue, 09/24/2024 - 15:21
Just like a hosta….cut with a sawzell or shovel right down the center. Plant In good soil deep enough to have the roots covered and even with the plants bottom growth. I bought one dead looking one on sale in the clearance at Lowe’s garden center. Looked pretty patenting, but for 5 bucks, I gave it a shot. One plant….sawed in into 4, and cut the bottom roots off as it was severely root bound. Put it in a bucket of water for an hour or so….planted in my garden. Now have 4, soon to be 8 gorgeous plants.
<span>Leslie Lawrence</span> Thu, 08/13/2020 - 16:08
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!
<span>Michelle</span> Fri, 08/07/2020 - 22:10
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!
<span>Julie</span> Thu, 05/12/2022 - 00:33
As birds & butterflies sip/drain the nectar, the spikes appear more pale. Trim and new bright spikes will follow…