Veronica 'Perfectly Picasso'

Veronica 'Perfectly Picasso': A Soft Pink Haze of Spikes

'Perfectly Picasso' paints pink spikes with white tips, as if it got halfway through the canvas and declared it finished. Two-tone, long blooming and wildly confident. MODERN ART YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Veronica hybrid
• Common Name: Spike Speedwell
• Height: 56–66 cm (22–26 in)
• Spread: 56–61 cm (22–24 in)
• Flowers: Medium pink, opening from white buds at the spike tips for a two-tone look
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to late summer (July to August)
• Foliage: Medium green, in a rounded clump
• Features: Long blooming, salt tolerant, good cut flower
• Plant Patent: PP29,720

Where to Plant: At about knee height, it fits the middle of a sunny border rather than the very front. Plant it in groups for a soft pink haze, use it in a large container, or grow it in a cut-flower bed. It's salt tolerant, so it copes with beds near salted walks.

Companion Plants: Anemone 'Whirlwind' grows to 90 to 100 cm with white flowers from August to October, taking over as the pink spikes fade. Symphyotrichum laeve adds lavender daisies at 60 to 100 cm over the same late season. Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' brings purple flowers at 40 to 45 cm from June to September. All three like full sun or partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to fertile, well-drained soil. Add compost to very heavy or very light soil. Water regularly in the first season and during dry spells. Deadhead spent spikes to keep new ones coming. If the clump looks tired after flowering, shear it back. Cut it back in late fall or early spring. Divide in spring every few years if the clump gets crowded.

History: 'Perfectly Picasso' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from a 2012 cross between an unreleased Walters seedling and the classic Veronica 'Red Fox'. It belongs to the Artist Series alongside 'Royal Rembrandt', 'Very Van Gogh' and 'Da Vinci Delight'.

Final Thoughts: Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies are all collectors. Deer and road salt don't faze it. START YOUR COLLECTION TODAY.