Veronica Magic Show® 'Ever After'

Veronica Magic Show® 'Ever After': Foot-Long Lavender-Blue Spikes

Fairy tales usually end with happily ever after. This plant starts there and keeps going. 'Ever After' is a spike speedwell with lavender-blue flower spikes up to about 30 cm long, rising from a compact, upright clump of green leaves 36 to 41 cm tall. In June and July, the spikes hold their colour for weeks, and the spent flowers tidy themselves up, so no deadheading drama. It blooms best in full sun, shrugs off road salt, and deer usually skip it. Bees and butterflies are regulars. NO PRINCE REQUIRED. JUST SUNSHINE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Veronica hybrid
• Common Name: Spike Speedwell
• Series: Magic Show®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 36–41 cm (14–16 in)
• Spread: 41–51 cm (16–20 in)
• Flowers: Lavender-blue spikes up to about 30 cm (12 in) long
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Green, in a compact, upright clump
• Light: Full sun to part sun; flowers best in full sun
• Hardiness Zone: 4
• Features: Long blooming, self-cleaning flowers, attracts bees and butterflies, deer resistant, salt tolerant
• Plant Patent: USPP 35,035 / Can PBRAF

Uses: Use it near the front of a sunny border, in a pollinator bed or in containers, where the tall spikes add a vertical line to rounder plants. It's also good for cutting. Because it tolerates salt, it's a fair choice near a driveway or sidewalk. For neighbours, try rounded flower shapes that contrast with the spikes: a white Shasta daisy, a yellow coreopsis or a pink coneflower. Its sister 'White Wands' makes a crisp blue-and-white pair.

Companion Plants: Eupatorium 'Baby Joe' rises to 70 to 75 cm with pink domes from July to September, picking up right after the lavender spikes. Hemerocallis 'Mini Stella' adds yellow trumpets at 20 to 25 cm from July to September at the front. Lysimachia clethroides brings arching white spikes at 60 to 90 cm over the same months, an echo of the speedwell's form. All three grow in full sun or partial sun.

Product Care: Plant in full sun in average to fertile, well-drained soil. Mixing in compost helps in heavy clay or very sandy ground. Keep it evenly watered, especially through its first summer. Deadhead the spent spikes to encourage more flowers. If the clump looks tired after blooming, shear it back and fresh leaves will follow. Cut it to the ground in late fall or early spring. Divide in spring every few years if the centre thins out.

History: 'Ever After' comes from the breeding program at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, and is patented under hybridizer Hans Hansen. Walters describes it as similar to its Magic Show® sibling 'White Wands', with lavender-blue flowers instead of white.

Final Thoughts: It's compact, long blooming and very easy to place. If you need a reliable blue spike in the front of a sunny bed, here's your answer. ONCE UPON A TIME, IN YOUR FRONT BORDER.