Woolly speedwell
Veronica incana ·
A mat of silver-white, felted leaves with slim spikes of deep violet-blue in early summer.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to late July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around woolly speedwell
The planner designed this bed around woolly speedwell 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 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why woolly speedwell stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Woolly speedwell × 8, blue
- 2 Winter heath × 7, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 5, white
- 4 Switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' × 8, purple
- 5 Clary sage × 3, lavender
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 8 Pink lily leek × 12, pink
Why this plant
- The only blue.
- The only medium leaves here. The rest are fine and bold. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late June to late July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' and clary sage in late July: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a cottage garden: 32 of the 32 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: blue, pink, purple, lavender and white. Switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' and clary sage anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
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 woolly speedwell goes in a border
At 14 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).
The flowers contrast with its own silver leaves. It needs sharper drainage than other speedwells and dislikes humid summers.
- Silver edging for dry sun
- Rock gardens
- Blue against silver
What to plant with woolly speedwell
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch': a low mound at the foot of its spires; low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Sedum 'Dragon's Blood': in flower together for five weeks, from late June; a low mound at the foot of its spires; low enough (4 in) to stand in front of it.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; a low mound at the foot of its spires; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about woolly speedwell
Does woolly speedwell need sun or shade?
Woolly speedwell grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does woolly speedwell grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 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 woolly speedwell flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to late July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late June to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 5 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 6 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 7 | Mid June to mid July |
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 woolly speedwell be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many woolly speedwell plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 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 eight in two groups.
What flowers after woolly speedwell?
Woolly speedwell is over by late July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall.
- Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall.
- Black-eyed Susan 'American Gold Rush': from mid July to early October, 24 in tall.
What does woolly speedwell look like in winter?
Woolly speedwell holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
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 'Royal Candles' Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles'
- Speedwell 'Sunny Border Blue' Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'
- Spike speedwell Veronica spicata
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late June to late July; upright spires; blue
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; silver
- Shape
- Mat-forming, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.