White Wands carries clean white spikes and is one of the longest-blooming speedwells, reblooming well after others have finished. It flowers from midsummer into late summer and often sends up more spikes in September.
At 14 to 16 inches it fits nicely behind low perennials and in front of shrubs. The dark green, glossy, narrow leaves resist disease better than many older varieties, and bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit often.
What it looks like
Slender, tapering flower spikes 5 to 8 inches long densely packed with tiny pure white florets, rising over the top half of the plant. Leaves are narrow, linear, dark green and glossy, 2 to 3 inches long. The plant is a compact, rounded clump 14 to 16 inches tall and 16 to 20 inches wide. At peak it looks like a glossy dark green mound topped with white wands.
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: Pure white
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Foliage: Dark green, glossy
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Growth habit: Compact, rounded clump
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Mature size: 14–16 in tall × 16–20 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.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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