PlantFiles: Speedwell
Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'

Sunny Border Blue is fantastic! I've grown it here in Dallas, Texas (HOT zone 8), for about 3-4 years, from plants put in at various times of the year. They overwinter beautifully, but what I love about them is their almost continual blue bloom---even now when we've had WEEKS of 100+ temp. We're in a long-lingering drought now (July 20), so I do give them plenty of water. But I'm amazed at how well they do in this heat (no cool-off at night!). I have them in front of roses and they look beautiful!

One of my favorite plants this summer. I don't have any problems (yet) with any mildew or browning foliage. This has almost blue flowers and is extremely long blooming, low maintance. If it continues to live up to how it's been doing, I could have tons of these plants.

I just planted 3 of these in a border this summer. They haven't bloomed yet, but they are already a little over 3 feet tall. I thought they were supposed to be about 2 feet tall? Anyway, they are obscuring the plants behind them, so I will have to move them in the spring. Compared to other varieties of veronica I've had, these are sturdier and have better/healthier looking foliage. I'll reserve overall judgment until I move them next year and see how they do.

This plant has beautiful lush dark green leaves, i have 2 of these plants with huge beautiful dark blue tall candle like flowers on each. they dont get as big as blue salvia but i prefer these due to this large dark geen foliage as well; as the salvia is light green and usually turns limey looking and wilty in its foliage color during the summer due to nitrogen loss from watering and intense summer heat here in n.c..the speedwell 'sunny border blues' leaves so far are still dark and beautiful!! mike.

Excellent perennial in my garden! Looks nice and green and healthy all summer long. I get good blooms on it, then after the blooms are about 2/3 the way done, I shear them off. It reblooms even nicer then! The plant gets bigger every year. It's a keeper here. No mildew, no flopping at all. If you do experience any flopping then trim back the older foilage and it will reward you with not only more blooms but a bushier, stronger plant.
I also saw a hummingbird trying to buzz around it to drink!

The lower leaves seem to always mildew and the stems flop. I have been more impressed with 'Royal Candles.'

I've only had this plant for 2 years, but in comparison with the other perennials in my sunny border, I'm very disappointed with it so far. We have had a lot of wind and rain this spring/early summer, and the Veronica did not fare well. The foliage is quite messy looking right now between the floppiness and the ugly mildew. I put a plant support ring around the plant after I realized that it needed some help, but now it's just kind of flopped all in one direction as opposed to laying all over the ground. I guess next year I'll try putting a plant support with the divided sections over it and let it grow through. I do like the shape of the blooms and the color. I'm not going to give up on the plant, but I'm certainly not going to buy another.

Super plant - bees and butterflies love it. BUT it does have "ugly knees" You will want to plant a something shorter in front to hide it's unattractive lower part of the stems.

I am going to collect seeds this year and see if they are viable.

This is a beautiful and hardy plant! I planted two of them last year- one grew perfectly, the other needed t be staked a bit. They attract bees and butterflies. I have mine in full sun, with relatively poor soil.

Both plants are coming in nicely this spring, though the one that had to be staked last year is not as big as the other plant that grew perfectly. I think I am noticing two small seedlings of speedwell that are growing about three to four feet away from the original plantings--so this plant may spread a bit. I'll wait and see what happens!

This was given to me as a birthday gift last May and did beautifully last summer. I live in Mound, MN (a suburb of the Twin Cities).

This is an attractive, spiky, showy, and compact plant for anyone who enjoys blue/purple blooms. I'm very pleased with its hardiness in my flower bed, even though I'm sometimes lax on fertilizing and watering!
Butterflies love it.
The plant label says it was "Perennial Plant of the Year 1993."

This is a very strong, hardy flower, which I'm very glad of since my husband pulled a hose over it the other day and it didn't break the stem. ;) They don't require much work besides the occasional watering and deadheading. It takes very little effort to get these plants up and going.

I like the plant but it appears that whiteflies do, too. The plant makes such thick foliage that some of the inner lower leaves yellow and fall from lack of light. It is going to be a challenge to spray thoroughly because of the compact growth. I have not had any mildew problems yet.

Positive because it survives a MN Zone 3 winter and does grow a ***little*** larger each year, although it is pretty, Veronica Red Fox appears much hardier in the frozen tundra. I've never had a mildew problem with any of my speedwells, but that could be that nothing can stop the party once the sun shines on them here. Lightning Bug

I planted my veronica in the spring and it did beautifully. when the blooms started to fade and die, I dead headed it and the blooms started all over again, from the bottom up.

San Antonio, TX
I have had 2 of these planted in one of my perennial beds for 12 years. They reliably return each spring and provide beautiful color with their rich green foliage and striking blooms. Mine have suffered from mildew also when I have over watered them or when we have received a huge amount of rain which isn't often. Now, I only water them when they start to wilt somewhat. It is best to lay the hose on the ground by the plant base rather than water from above. Stem cuttings root easily. The plants spread into neat clumps which become larger every year. If in bloom, after heavy rain some stems have had to be staked. They perform best in full sun, require little care and bloom continuously from late spring until the first frost. The Perennial Plant Association selected it for the Plant of the Year Award in 1993.

This veronica is hardy in my zone 3, southern Manitoba garden. This year the lower leaves were a mess from mildew, but it's not usually a problem.