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Spiked speedwell

 

 

It started with July, it ends with September. The lower flowers in the long flowerhead open first, so the plant can flower for a long time and there is plenty to please the eye. The spiked speedwell belongs to the Veronica or speedwell genus (about twenty species of them grow in Estonia); characteristic for them are the irregular bright blue flowers; leaves are placed oppositely but can be very variable: broader or narrower, hairy or bare, with slightly serrated margins or whole ...The height of the plants depends strongly on the soil and its fertility.

 

Sheep eat the spiked speedwell, other animals don’t care for it and outside being a pleasure to look at the plant has not much to offer. Gardeners can dribble ripe speedwell seeds in a suitable spot and the first plants will usually flower already in the following year.