Veronica spicata Snow Candles

Veronica spicata Snow Candles, also known as Spike Speedwell, is a vigorous perennial with a long charming and elegant summer flowering. It produces long architectural, upright spikes covered with small white star-shaped flowers. It forms a compact, creeping clump of dark green foliage. It thrives in sunny flower beds, slopes, and rockeries, in well-drained, dry or occasionally flooded limestone soil.

Spike Speedwell is a perennial plant of the Plantaginaceae family, formerly classified in the Scrophulariaceae family, mainly growing in mountains, up to 2000 m (6562ft) altitude and less commonly in plains. It can be found growing in meadows, on rocky slopes and at the edge of forests, mostly on limestone soil. Snow Candles 'Joca 128' has dense and vigorous vegetation, 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18in) high for the foliage, 60 cm (24in) for the flowers, spreading over 30-40 m (98-131ft) in diameter from its powerful semi-woody crown. Its hairy stems are branched at the upper part and bear deciduous to semi-evergreen, ovate to linear, beautiful dark green leaves, with finely toothed edges. From July to August and sometimes until September, it produces tiny star-shaped flowers, tightly packed on dense upright spikes at the end of the floral stems and attractive to bees and butterflies. The plant self-seeds in light soil.

Veronica spicata Snow Candles can be planted in any well-drained soil, even rocky and limestone, preferably in full sun. It is particularly suitable for a mountain garden with rocky soil. Although it prefers some moisture at its base, it tolerates drought quite well once established. This perennial is useful for planting at the base of shrub roses, in raised flower beds, on a slope or in a rockery, with Echinaceas, Stipas, Red Shrubby Salvias, California Poppies or Lavenders. Its relatively flexible, white spikes provide height and colour to a low flower bed composed of creeping plants like Aubrietas, Wall Bellflowers, or Snow-in-Summer. Spike Speedwell can also be planted en masse. Its flowers are also very beautiful when cut.