How to grow Veronica repens
With evergreen dark green foliage and tiny white flowers, Veronica repens is a great choice for UK gardens. Mat-forming in nature, Veronica repens gets its common name - Creeping Speedwell - from its tendency to creep and spread in lawns and borders.
With heights of just 5cm and 30cm spreads, Veronica repens is valuably low growing. When grown as multiples, you can create an eye-catching mat that can even handle some foot traffic. The versatile nature of Veronica repens makes it ideal for paving and edging - some gardeners also plant it in containers or use it as a lawn replacement.
The tiny white flowers of Veronica repens also come with dashes of pale pinks and purples, ideal for a splash of colour in your underplanting.
Key Information
Soil pH
Position
Hardiness
Where & when to plant Veronica repens
Veronica repens enjoys full sun or partial sun: between 2-4 hours of sunlight per day. Veronica repens can be grown as ground cover and underplanting in flower beds and borders, or as fillers within walls, edging and paving. When grown as infill for paving or as a lawn replacement, Veronica repens can safely tolerate low levels of foot traffic.
How to plant Veronica repens
When getting started with Veronica repens, start with potted seedlings
When your seedlings arrive they are ready to be planted out in milder areas or you can grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse until the weather warms a little to increase their viability.
Check the pots to see how established the root growth is and repot if required. Alternatively, dig a hole slightly larger than the pot and place the plant in the chosen site along with some grit or gravel to aid drainage where appropriate. Back fill the planting site and water in your plant to aid establishment
Ensure that plants are kept moist, not water logged, whilst establishing after which they require minimal care and flowers will return year on year
What to plant with Veronica repens
A low-grower, Veronica repens can be grown in flower beds as groundcover and underplanting for other plants such as early-spring blooming bulbs. The whites and pale pinks of the Veronica repens flora complement colourful and taller border flowers such as Rhododendrons and Azaleas perfectly. The evergreen nature of Veronica repens’ foliage means that they can be planted in front of green Ferns for a long-lasting display of healthy greenery.
How to care for Veronica repens
Pruning & Deadheading
When grown as a lawn replacement, you can mow back Veronica repens once the bloom has finished. If grown between paving, underplanting or edging, Veronica repens does not need cutting back or pruning. Of course, any diseased, damaged or wilting flowers should be removed as you see them.
Watering
Veronica repens prefer well-draining soil and do not need too much water. Other than rainwater, make sure the plants get watered regularly while growing and once a week or so once established.
Cold Protection
As a hardy perennial, Veronica repens does not need any cold protection and is fully frost hardy down to temperatures of -15°C. The flowers will die back once the blooming season is over, and their green leaves are evergreen so will appear throughout the year. The following spring, their flowers will regrow.
Pests & Diseases
Veronicas may suffer from a few diseases, including downy mildew, leaf spot and powdery mildew. Look out for pale green and yellow spots, brown spots or irregular holes in foliage - these are all indicative of diseased plants. As Veronica repens is mat forming, it is best to remove any diseased plants immediately to stop the spread.
How to propagate Veronica repens
Due to Veronica repens’ short stature, you can propagate it quite easily through division. You can also propagate via seed, but this will take a little longer
As Veronica repens is mat forming, you will need to take a full section of it rather than one single plant or cutting. Dig up a small section of healthy plant and take out about ⅓ of the roots: ideally enough to fit a 7-9cm pot). Re-pot the parent plant as soon as you can
Add the roots to cuttings compost in a small pot and settle in with water. While the plant is establishing, keep the soil moist and the foliage misted
When ready, plant outdoors in a position with plenty of sunlight and well-draining soil. Plant in nooks and crannies of walls, paving or edging as well as flower beds and borders.
Common Veronica Repens Questions
Does Creeping Speedwell grow in shade?
Veronica repens (Creeping Speedwell) can grow in partial shade conditions; this means it needs 2-4 hours of sunlight a day to grow. However, it prefers full sun.
Is veronica repens perennial?
Yes, Veronica repens is a perennial. This means the plant will go dormant over the winter and will re-grow in the spring once the weather and soil heat up. With evergreen foliage, you will see the deep green leaves of Veronica repens throughout the year.
How fast does Creeping Speedwell spread?
As a creeping plant, it can spread quickly on lawns; Veronica repens is often used for this purpose as a ‘replacement’ lawn or ornamental ground cover. Veronica repens can spread by seed, so cut (or mow) back in the autumn to prevent this.