Veronica longifolia Alba
Narrow white spires held straight up, tapering to a point, and produced in enough quantity that a clump reads as a block of vertical white. Veronica longifolia 'Alba' packs hundreds of tiny flowers onto each spike, opening from the bottom upward over several weeks. The leaves are narrow, toothed and mid green on upright stems. Flowering runs January to March.
Vertical white is one of the most useful things you can add to a summer border, because it lifts everything around it without adding another colour. Use it in cottage planting, in a white and green scheme, or through a mixed border with grasses and daisies. It is a good cut flower, and bees and butterflies work the spikes constantly.
Plant in full sun in fertile soil that holds moisture, spacing plants 45 cm apart. It grows on ordinary garden ground and on improved new-build soil, but it does not tolerate drought and the spikes shorten noticeably in dry conditions. At 90 cm it may need support in an exposed spot. Divide the clump every three years in spring.
Reaches around 0.9 m tall with a spread of 0.5 m.
Trimming: Cut each spike out at the base as it finishes and side shoots often follow with a second, lighter flush. Take the whole plant to the ground in late autumn once the stems die back.
Deadheading: Deadhead consistently. Removing spent spikes before they set seed is what brings the second flush and keeps the clump looking clean, which matters more on a white cultivar.
Fertilising: Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring with a compost mulch. A second light feed after the first flush supports the later spikes.
Watering: Keep the soil moist through summer. This is the one requirement that really matters, and a plant short of water in December produces short thin spikes in January.
Pest Control: Aphids gather on developing spikes and slugs take the spring shoots. Neither is a serious problem on an established clump.
Disease Management: Powdery mildew and leaf spot appear on crowded plants or in dry conditions. Divide regularly, allow air between plants, and water at ground level rather than over the foliage.
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