In my last post, I mentioned that my creeping speedwell, Veronica peduncularis ‘Georgia Blue’ (aka ‘Oxford Blue’) was blooming merrily away, but I failed to put up a photo, as the flowers looked a bit waterlogged after two days of heavy rain. I’ll make it up to you now that the sun’s come out!
This Veronica is one of my favourite early season perennials – a reliable, hardy, tidy mound that can tolerate sun or shade, drought or moisture. By lineage, ‘Georgia Blue’ is an excellent rock garden plant: it is a native of the West Caucasus mountains in – you guessed it – Georgia. Although it only sports masses of tiny, bright blue blooms for a short time in spring (and occasionally again in the cool weather of early autumn), the foliage is a treat in itself – the leaves turn bronze-purple when the temperatures cool.
A quick search on the ‘Net, however, lead me to a bit of a name-flap for my pretty plant: it turns out it may not be V. peduncularis at all. Yes, it’s definitely a ‘Georgia Blue,’ but there is a considerable amount of confusion regarding the species name. As the plant label clearly identified it as V. peduncularis when I purchased the plant a few years ago, I’ve always used that name. But it appears the plant label and I are likely wrong. V. peduncularis should be correctly assigned the name V. unbrosa instead. Or not…it seems that everyone is using both monikers synonymously.
Ah, nomenclature strikes again! 😉
I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
Do you grow speedwell in your garden?
Related articles
- Fun Flower Facts: Veronica (Speedwell) (funflowerfacts.com)
- Rain…and a garden update. (floweryprose.com)
- Choosing the Best Flowers for Rock Gardens (proflowers.com)
- Slender Speedwell (bristolwildlife.wordpress.com)
Flowery Prose. 