Veronica Blue Bouquet
Compact enough for the front of a bed and dense enough to read as solid colour. 'Blue Bouquet' produces short tapering spikes crowded with small deep violet-blue flowers, held just above a neat mound of dark green toothed leaves. The spikes come in numbers rather than singly, so an established clump carries a dozen or more at once through summer. It dies back to a low rosette over winter.
Low, tidy and strongly coloured makes this an easy plant to place: along a path edge, at the front of a mixed border, in a group through a cottage garden, or in a container. The violet-blue sits particularly well with silver foliage and soft yellows. Bees and butterflies feed on the spikes steadily while they are open.
Grow in full sun in free-draining soil of average fertility, spacing plants 30 cm apart. It is tougher and more drought tolerant than the tall veronicas, though it still flowers better with some summer moisture. Heavy ground that stays wet in winter is the main thing to avoid. Lift and divide every three years to keep the clump vigorous.
Makes a clump 0.3 to 0.4 m tall and much the same across.
Trimming: Shear the spent spikes off just above the foliage mound once the first flush fades, and a second wave usually follows. Cut the plant back to the basal rosette in late autumn.
Deadheading: Worth doing, and easiest done as a light shear rather than spike by spike given how many there are. It extends the season by several weeks.
Fertilising: A balanced fertiliser in early spring is enough for the year. Feeding harder produces a lax mound and fewer spikes, which is the opposite of what this cultivar is for.
Watering: Water through dry spells in summer. It copes with more dryness than the taller veronicas but flowers longer where the soil stays reasonably moist.
Pest Control: Slugs and snails graze new growth in spring, and aphids may cluster on developing spikes. Both are easily managed by hand on a plant this size.
Disease Management: Crowded or dry plants pick up mildew and leaf spot in humid weather. Divide regularly, keep plants spaced, and water the soil rather than the leaves.
Enjoy complimentary delivery anywhere in mainland New Zealand when you purchase plants worth $250 or more*.
For orders below $250, the following flat-rate delivery charges are applicable:
- Urban delivery within mainland New Zealand: $19.95
- Rural delivery within mainland New Zealand: $39.95
- Waiheke, Chatham and Great Barrier Islands: Please contact us for shipping options.
We aim to have all orders shipped within 14 days from the order date, unless a different shipping date is specified alongside a product.
