Veronica spicata L.
Breckland Spiked Speedwell
Spiked speedwell is an upright perennial bearing tapering spikes of small, intense blue-violet flowers above neat, toothed leaves; in cultivation pink, purple and white forms are also grown. The slender flower spikes are long-lasting and give the plant a strong vertical accent.
About
Spiked speedwell is an upright perennial bearing tapering spikes of small, intense blue-violet flowers above neat, toothed leaves; in cultivation pink, purple and white forms are also grown. The slender flower spikes are long-lasting and give the plant a strong vertical accent. It typically flowers in mid to late summer.
In the wild in Britain it is genuinely rare, native to short, open grassland on base-rich soils and now largely confined to the Breckland of East Anglia, where it has been the subject of careful conservation and reintroduction work; it also occurs as a calcareous-grassland plant in a few other parts of its wider European range. The flowers are well visited by bees and other insects. Far more widely it is grown as a hardy garden and border perennial, and selected forms are valued for sunny, well-drained plantings and pollinator gardens rather than gathered from the wild.
Also known as
Spiked Speedwell · Spiked Speedwell agg.
Synonyms
Pseudolysimachion spicatum hybridum · Pseudolysimachium spicatum · Veronica clusii · Veronica incana · Veronica laeta · Veronica longifolia · Veronica spicata hybrida · Veronica spicata vulgaris
In our seed mixes
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.