Common Name: shrubby speedwell
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Plantaginaceae
Zone: 8 to 10
Height: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Description: Violet-purple
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Evergreen
Attracts: Butterflies
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer
Culture
Best grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Best performance occurs with consistent, regular moisture with sharp soil drainage (particularly in winter). Apply an organic mulch to help regulate soil moisture. Prefers coastal or Mediterranean climates. Tolerates light shade. Remove spent flower spikes to encourage additional bloom. Plants may be cut back to basal growth after flowering. Hardy in Zone 8-10.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Veronica is a genus of about 250 species of annuals, perennials and some sub-shrubs mainly from Europe.
Genus name honors Saint Veronica who reportedly gave a handkerchief to Jesus so he could wipe sweat from his face on the way to Calvary, with some genus plants having markings that resemble the markings on the sacred handkerchief.
'Alicia Amherst' is a purple-flowered hybrid cultivar of Veronica named for Alicia Amherst (1865-1941), an English horticulturist, garden designer and garden historian who wrote A History of Gardening in England published in 1895. It is a vigorous, bushy, evergreen subshrub that typically grows to 3-4’ tall and as wide. It strongly resembles Veronica speciosa which is thought to be one of its parents. Dark violet-purple flowers bloom in axillary spike-like racemes reaching around 3" tall from late July to September. Glossy elliptic to elliptic-ovate dark green leaves (to 3-4” long) sometimes acquire light bronze-purple tones in winter. Synonymous with V. 'Veitchii' and formerly assigned to the genus Hebe.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Root rot may occur in wet, poorly-drained soils. Deer and rabbits tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Shrub border. Hedge. Specimen or small groups.