Veronica longifolia Candied Candle

Veronica longifolia 'Candied Candle' is a compact and late flowering variety of Long-leafed Speedwell. Its long spikes of densely packed tiny, intense purple-pink flowers, stand above abundant light green foliage. This pretty perennial forms a flowery mass, covered in butterflies in borders or at the edge of water features. It is very hardy and easy to grow in any deep and moist, good garden soil, in full sun or partial shade. Its flowers are perfect as cut flowers.

Veronica longifolia is a herbaceous plant of the plantain family, found in northern and central Europe as well as Asia. It forms quite large clumps, with erect stems, sometimes over 1 metre (3 feet) high in nature and readily hybridizes with Veronica spicata.

The 'Candied Candle' variety is much shorter, but also more floriferous and will reach about 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18in) high and 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) wide. Its leaves can be opposite, but are often whorled in groups of three or four. They are quite narrow and lanceolate, 6 to 12 cm (2 to 5in) long, with a short petiole, deeply toothed and bright light green. It flowers in August-September with very dense long narrow spikes of tightly packed, tiny, tubular, very dark pink flowers with a slightly violet hue, made up of four petals and two strikingly light protruding stamens. The nectar-rich flowers are followed by heart-shaped capsules.

This hardy Veronica is easy to grow in ordinary, moist soil and blends well with lots of plants to create magnificent summer compositions in borders, at the front of large beds, and on the edges of a pond. Plant it alongside Joe-Pye Weed, Sneezeweed, Lythrum salicaria, Filipendula rubra 'Venusta', and Marsh Spurge, for example. In a wilder style, at the back of a bed, this elegant perennial forms a very successful combination with shorter grasses: Carex, Festuca, stipa... Its flowers can be used to create beautiful bouquets, with white or red roses, hydrangeas, ranunculus or asters.