Last fall I planted two small pink Veronica plants in a sunny spot, just inside my wrought iron fence. They are thriving, having spread nicely without much intervention from me. Nearby, a Flower Carpet Rose, is probably not going to make it due perhaps to lack of watering, and our Goldendoodle’s efforts. These Veronica have a lovely spiky mid-pink flower – a bit more demure than my fuschia coloured phlox and geraniums. These Veronica were marked as Zone 6 when I purchased them, so they were new to me – having always gardened in Zone 4. I was a little worried about the constant ice and deep snow we had this winter, but they seem to have not noticed.

Veronica has bloomed for me from early June until now (the end of July) and show now signs of fading. Apparently when they fade I should trim the spent flowers just below the bloom, as I don’t want to lose the potential lower blooming flowers. This should help encourage rebloom.

Veronica are available in pink, blues, purples and whites. Foliage can also come in more silvery varieties. Veronica is a member of the flowering plant family Plantaginicae or Plantain, and is also commonly called Speedwell, and sometimes Bird’sEye or Gypsyweed. I have a fair number of weeds in my garden that look like Veronica, but fail to bloom like Veronica, which are likely members of the Plantain family.