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Veronica filiformis

slender speedwell

Plantaginaceae Caucasus and northern Turkey

Attracts Pollinators

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Veronica filiformis, slender speedwell, is a low, mat-forming perennial in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) that creeps across the ground on thread-like stems rooting at every node. The rounded, kidney-shaped leaves are small, scalloped, and bright green, set along stems that rarely lift more than 1-2 inches (2-5 cm) above the soil. In spring it produces solitary pale blue flowers, about 0.3-0.4 inch (8-10 mm) wide, each with a white lower lip and held on a long, slender stalk well clear of the foliage. The plant spreads almost entirely by vegetative fragments, and in its introduced range it sets little or no seed, instead colonizing new ground from pieces of stem moved by mowing, foot traffic, and cultivation. It forms loose mats in short turf, lawns, grassy banks, and damp meadows, and roots quickly wherever fragments land. Because mowing scatters rather than removes it, the plant is persistent and difficult to clear from lawns. It grows in sun to light shade on moist, moderately fertile soil and dies back little in mild winters.

Native Range

Native to the Caucasus and the mountains of northern Turkey, where it grows in damp grassland and on stream banks. It was introduced to Europe and North America as a rock-garden plant and has naturalized widely, becoming a common lawn and grassland weed in cool, moist regions.

Suggested Uses

Grown as a low groundcover in rock gardens, gravel, and shaded edges where its spring sheet of blue flowers suits informal settings. Used to fill cracks and bank faces in wilder plantings that can contain its spread. Its readiness to colonize turf makes it unsuited to managed lawns and tidy borders.

How to Identify

Look for a slender-stemmed creeping mat of small, scalloped, kidney-shaped leaves pressed close to the ground in short grass. In spring, solitary pale blue flowers with a white centre rise on long thread-like stalks above the foliage. The threadlike rooting stems and single long-stalked flowers separate Veronica filiformis from upright speedwells that carry flowers in spikes.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1" - 2"

Width/Spread1' - 2'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Spring

Pale blue flowers open from April through June, scattered singly across the mat on long stalks. Each flower is short-lived, and in cool-climate introductions the plant seldom forms viable seed. Bees and hoverflies visit the flowers, though spread relies far more on stem fragments than on seed.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

pale blue with white

Foliage Description

bright green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-7 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay

Drainageaverage

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1-2 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Growth is steady in full sun to light shade on moist, moderately fertile soil, including the thin turf of lawns and banks. The creeping stems root as they go and need no watering except in drought, drawing on a shallow, wide-spreading root system. The plant requires no feeding and tolerates regular mowing, which breaks it into rooting fragments rather than killing it. In lawns it competes with grass on damp, lightly managed ground, and clearance calls for raking out fragments and improving turf vigour. It can be lifted and replanted from rooted pieces at almost any time in the growing season. Topgrowth stays low and largely evergreen through mild winters.

Pruning

No pruning is needed. Mowing keeps the mats low but spreads rooting fragments rather than removing the plant. Clearance from turf relies on raking out stem pieces and thickening the grass.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic