Blue Skywalker brings height without taking up much ground. Lavender-blue flower spikes cover the top half of a very upright, narrow plant of dark green leaves, reaching about 2.5 feet tall.
It keeps a full, dense habit despite its height and blooms for a long stretch from midsummer into late summer. The spikes contrast nicely with rounded flowers like coneflowers and black-eyed Susans, and bees visit constantly.
What it looks like
Slender, tapering flower spikes 6 to 10 inches long densely packed with tiny lavender-blue florets, opening from the bottom up, covering the top half of the plant. Leaves are lance-shaped, finely toothed and dark green, 2 to 4 inches long, set in pairs along stiff stems. The plant is an upright, narrow, dense clump 28 to 30 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide. At peak it looks like a tall green column bristling with lavender-blue spires.
Growing it with lavender
Speedwell likes full sun like lavender but appreciates a little more moisture, so set it at the edge of a lavender bed where it gets occasional water; its slender spikes echo lavender's form and extend the season of spiky color.
Care
Plant in full sun to part shade in average, well-drained soil that does not stay dry for long. Hardy in zones 4-8; cut spent spikes back to the next set of side buds to keep new flowers coming, and divide crowded clumps every few years in spring.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Veronica
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Flower color: Lavender-blue
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Foliage: Dark green
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Growth habit: Upright, narrow, dense clump
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Mature size: 28–30 in tall × 18–20 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-July
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Peak bloom: Late-July
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.