Magic Show® Purple Illusion Spike Speedwell

Size

Another great introduction in the Magic Show series of perennials, this time in purple! Magic Show Purple Illusion Spike Speedwell is an improved Veronica hybrid. It is shorter, more compact in growing habit, making it easier to grow in a smaller garden bed and does not require staking to keep it upright. Its rosy purple flowers seem to glow atop the bright green foliage that is no slacker itself in the looks category. Even after the flowers have faded for the season, the foliage will provide an attractive display in your garden, serving to lend great contrast to later blooming perennials. Coastal gardeners will appreciate its tolerance to salty soils. Native to Northern Europe and Asia, Speedwell Veronica is a hardy perennial, blooming in mid to late summer. It prefers the open woodlands and meadows where it gets full sun, but will tolerate some shade. Magic Show Purple Illusion is hardy in Zones 4 to 8, preferring a little cold in the winter to help set the blossoms for the coming spring. It is a fast grower, spiking up from its basal leaves in late winter, early spring to send up a lovely flowering spike, not unlike a candle. There may be more than one spike per stem as well. It creates a lovely fountain of purple and makes a wonderful drift of color when you mass it out in your landscape, or use it as a border or edging for a driveway or sidewalk. Magic Show® Purple Illusion Spike Speedwell Care While it prefers humus rich well draining soil, Veronica will thrive in a variety of soil types and still give you good results. Poor, average or fertile soil, with a pH range preferred of 5.5 to 6.2, but tolerating acidic to alkaline soil, you will be able to grow Veronica just about anywhere and be successful. It prefers a full sun location, but will tolerate some shade, especially in the southernmost regions of its hardiness zone. Water regularly for best results, especially when natural rainfall is inadequate. Amend particularly poor soil with well composted organic matter for spectacular results. Fertilization beyond that is not necessary. Deadheading will help promote new blooms and extend the season for this long bloomer even longer. Remove spent flowers or make it a regular habit to clip some stems to bring that beautiful color into your home for additional enjoyment. Veronica makes beautiful cut flowers. Bees and butterflies will be frequent visitors, but Veronica does not tend to be attractive to deer and rabbits. Divide clumps every few years when they start looking overgrown and tired. Cut stems back to basal foliage and mulch in areas with particularly harsh winters. Magic Show® Purple Illusion Spike Speedwell Spacing Space your plants about 16 to 18 inches apart to allow room to grow. Purple Illusion will grow to about 18 inches tall and wide. They are typically not bothered by plant diseases or insect pests. Whether you grow Purple Illusion in your garden bed, in patio containers as an upright thriller, or in masses in your landscape, you are going to appreciate the bright fresh foliage and beautiful purple spikes of Magic Show Purple Illusion Spike Speedwell in your garden this spring.