Speedwell 'Royal Candles'
Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles' · Plantaginaceae
A compact speedwell packed with deep violet-blue spikes that keep coming for weeks, on a plant that stays dense and upright to the base.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 14 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to late August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around speedwell 'Royal Candles'
The planner designed this bed around speedwell 'Royal Candles' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why speedwell 'Royal Candles' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Speedwell 'Royal Candles' × 3, blue
- 2 Winter heath × 6, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 13, yellow
- 4 Switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' × 3, purple
- 5 New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' × 4, pink
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 8 Tulip 'Apeldoorn' × 12, red
Why this plant
- The only spires. The others are bells, daisies, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only blue.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is seen over winter heath (10 in) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' (3½ ft) and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 10 weeks. From late June to late August.
- Fills a gap. For five of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 30 of the 30 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Cool colours (blue, pink and purple) with yellow and red as the warm notes. The bold leaves of silver sage are set against the fine leaves of winter heath, the kind of contrast that keeps a bed from blurring. Every line of the Design check comes out Good or better.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where speedwell 'Royal Candles' goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
It keeps its lower leaves, where older speedwells go bare, so it works as an edging. A line of it makes a strong blue band in front of yellow or white flowers.
- Deep blue at the front of a bed
- Containers
- Massing
What to plant with speedwell 'Royal Candles'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for 10 weeks; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Daylily 'Stella de Oro': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for 10 weeks.
- Shasta daisy 'Snowcap': in flower together for nine weeks, from late June; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
Questions about speedwell 'Royal Candles'
Does speedwell 'Royal Candles' need sun or shade?
Speedwell 'Royal Candles' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does speedwell 'Royal Candles' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does speedwell 'Royal Candles' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late June to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 5 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Mid June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Mid June to mid August |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should speedwell 'Royal Candles' be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many speedwell 'Royal Candles' plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is speedwell 'Royal Candles' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat speedwell 'Royal Candles'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after speedwell 'Royal Candles'?
Speedwell 'Royal Candles' is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
- Autumn moor grass: from mid August to early October, 16 in tall.
What does speedwell 'Royal Candles' look like in winter?
Speedwell 'Royal Candles' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
Is speedwell 'Royal Candles' good for bees and butterflies?
Speedwell 'Royal Candles' is visited by bees and butterflies.
More Veronica
- Gentian speedwell Veronica gentianoides
- Long-leaved speedwell Veronica longifolia
- Speedwell 'Georgia Blue' Veronica umbrosa 'Georgia Blue'
- Speedwell 'Red Fox' Veronica spicata 'Rotfuchs'
- Speedwell 'Sunny Border Blue' Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'
- Spike speedwell Veronica spicata
- Woolly speedwell Veronica incana
In these guides
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Plants with blue flowers
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 14 in (35 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late June to late August; upright spires; blue
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Comes from
- Europe and Asia
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.