Veronica Magic Show® 'White Wands'

Veronica Magic Show® 'White Wands': A Whole Bundle of Pure White Spikes

Every magician needs a wand. This plant showed up with a whole bouquet. 'White Wands' is a spike speedwell with pure white flower spikes over a short, dense clump of glossy, narrow, dark green leaves, 36 to 41 cm tall. It blooms in June and July and often comes back for another round into September. The foliage also resists disease better than many older veronicas. It's salt tolerant, deer resistant, and the bees love it. Full sun gives the best show. ABRACADABRA, THE BORDER IS TIDY.

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: Pure white spikes
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July), often reblooming into September
• Foliage: Glossy, narrow, dark green leaves in a short, dense clump
• Light: Full sun to part sun; flowers best in full sun
• Hardiness Zone: 4
• Features: Long blooming, attracts bees and butterflies, deer resistant, salt tolerant
• Plant Patent: USPP 27,632 / Can 5,822

Uses: White spikes calm down a busy border and brighten a planting at dusk. Use it at the front of a sunny bed, in containers or in groups along a walkway. Its spiky shape looks best next to rounded flowers like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and Shasta daisies. For a cool scheme, pair it with a deep purple salvia or its lavender-blue sibling, 'Ever After'.

Companion Plants: Hibiscus Summerific® 'Valentine's Crush' stands at 150 cm with big red flowers in July and August, a bold backdrop for the white spikes. Monarda Sugar Buzz® 'Rockin' Raspberry' adds purple flowers at 40 to 60 cm in the same months. Geum 'Koi' brings orange flowers at 20 to 25 cm from May to September along the front. This speedwell reblooms into September, so the whole group stays bright in full sun or partial sun.

Product Care: Plant in full sun in average to fertile, well-drained soil. Add compost to heavy clay or very light soil. Keep it evenly watered, especially in its first year. Deadhead or shear after the first flush of flowers to encourage the fall rebloom. If the clump looks worn later in summer, trim it back to fresh leaves. Cut it to the ground in late fall or early spring. Divide in spring every few years if the centre gets sparse.

History: 'White Wands' is one of the Magic Show® spike speedwells from Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, sold under the Proven Winners® brand. Walters notes that its foliage resists disease better than many older veronicas. The later Magic Show® 'Ever After' is described as similar, with lavender-blue flowers.

Final Thoughts: It's clean, crisp and in bloom for a very long time. White plants make everything around them look better, and this one does it in a small space. ABRACADABRA. THE BORDER IS FIXED.