Veronicastrum virginicum Kleine Erika

Small Erika Virginian Speedwell or Veronicastrum virginicum Kleine Erika is the little sister of the Virginia Speedwell Erika, a tall and elegant, slender and graceful perennial. Kleine Erika has the same characteristics but is shorter, 70 cm (28in). Its slender silhouette easily blends in with summer plants and brings lightness with its long flowering spikes swaying in the wind, in summer beds. They are covered with multiple small feathery flowers from June onwards. These flowers are purple in bud and pale pink when open, offering a beautiful range of pink tones throughout the season, and are visited by numerous insects. This hardy plant prefers moist, even wet soils and semi-shaded positions.

Native to the plains of the United States, as its name suggests, the Virginia Speedwell can be found in the wild in all waterlogged areas: floodplains, ditch banks, forest edges, etc. It does not mind the cold or lack of light and can grow in seemingly unfavourable locations. It is visually appealing and generous. It is a beautiful and generous herbaceous perennial with a recognizable silhouette. The deciduous leaves are long and lanceolate, whorled in star-like tiers around the stem. The long floral spike at the top of the stem is composed of many small flowers and is sometimes surrounded by a few small spikes. Flowering occurs from bottom to top, revealing different shades of pink in Kleine Erika. It starts very dark and gradually lightens, with the emergence of prominent pale stamens that give it a feathery appearance. Depending on your climate, it can start as early as June and last until September, attracting many pollinators.

Veronicastrum virginicum does not spread and maintains its height, which is visually appealing in a flowerbed. Kleine Erika can therefore be nestled among Foxgloves in the shade of tall trees or behind Japanese Primroses and Siberian Irises near a pond. In a flowerbed where the soil remains moist, it thrives alongside variou colours of Phlox. It requires no maintenance, except for watering in intense heat.