Product Description
Veronica 'Lavender Lightsaber' PP32359 (25) Bare Root Plants
Common Name: Spike Speedwell
'Lavender Lightsaber' joins popular companion 'Blue Skywalker' except with soft lavender flowers covering the top half of a columnar, upright habit. Bucking the trend of smaller and more compact plants, 'Lavender Lightsaber' fills a need of adding height to the middle of the border. Try this perennial in narrow spaces needing height, such as small city gardens or narrow borders.
Veronica is highly valued for its ease of growth and long bloom time. The spiky flowers are an excellent contrast to the more common rounded flower shapes like Shasta Daisies, Coneflower, and Black Eyed Susans. Expect bees to be buzzing about this plant when in bloom.
This perennial is tolerant of a wide range of well-drained soil types. Amending soils, especially very heavy and light types, with generous amounts of organic matter will result in improved performance. Although tolerant of partial shade, it will flower better in full sun. Deadheading will promote additional blooms. Shear back the foliage if it becomes worn-looking after flowering.
Height: 28.0-30.0 Inches
Spread: 18.0-20.0 Inches
Hardiness Zones: 4,5,6,7,8,9
Flower Color: Purple shades
Foliage Color: Green shades
Sunlight: Full Sun (> 6 hrs. Direct Sun) Part Shade (4-6 hrs. Direct Sun)
Water Requirements: Average to Consistent Water Needs
Soil Quality: Average to Fertile Soil Quality
Bloomtime: Early Summer to Midsummer
Long Blooming
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Bee Friendly
Deer Resistant
Growth Rate: Medium
Border Plant, Container, Cut Flower, Easy To Grow, Mass Planting, Salt Tolerant
Veronica 'Lavender Lightsaber' is a striking perennial that has gained popularity for its unique beauty and resilience. This comprehensive guide explores the plant's characteristics, care requirements, and uses in landscaping.
Characteristics Veronica 'Lavender Lightsaber' is an upright, columnar plant known for its tall wands of soft lavender flowers. It typically reaches a height of 28-30 inches with a spread of 18-20 inches. The flower spikes bloom from early to mid-summer, with the flower wands opening from the base to the tips for an extended blooming period. This creates a beautiful contrast against the plant's dark green foliage. The foliage remains dense right to the ground, eliminating the need for companion plants in front. This variety is an interspecific hybrid and is hardy in zones 4a - 9b, making it suitable for a wide range of climates. It is also rabbit resistant. 'Lavender Lightsaber' has a mild fragrance and attracts pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds. It is not an evergreen plant, so expect some foliage dieback in colder months.
Care Requirements Veronica 'Lavender Lightsaber' is a relatively low-maintenance plant that thrives in a variety of conditions. It prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. It prefers moist soil with good winter drainage. While it can tolerate a wide range of soil types, amending heavy or light soils with organic matter can improve its performance. This plant is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. It is also salt tolerant, making it a good choice for coastal gardens. Drought-tolerant once established, it appreciates consistent moisture. Deadheading spent flowers not only keeps the plant looking tidy but also encourages the plant to produce more flowers, extending its blooming period. To maintain a tidy appearance, shear back the foliage by half after flowering or prune down to basal growth in late autumn. It can be divided every 3 years in spring or fall.
Uses in Landscaping Veronica 'Lavender Lightsaber' is a versatile plant with various uses in landscaping:
- Borders: Its height and vibrant color make it an excellent addition to borders, especially narrow ones where vertical interest is needed. It is especially valuable in narrow borders where its upright growth habit adds vertical interest without taking up much horizontal space.
- Rock Gardens: It can be used as an accent in rock gardens.
- General Garden Use: Its adaptability and long bloom time make it suitable for various garden settings. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard.
- Groundcover: When planted in masses, it can act as a groundcover.
- Container Planting: It thrives in containers and can be used as a 'thriller' in container combinations. Its strong vertical presence makes it an ideal 'thriller' in container plantings, providing a focal point when surrounded by lower-growing 'spillers' and 'fillers'.
Similar Plants If you are interested in exploring similar plants, here are some options:
- Veronica 'Blue Skywalker': This variety shares the same upright growth habit and long bloom time as 'Lavender Lightsaber' but features vibrant blue flower spikes.
- Veronica 'Purple Leia': This variety, similar to 'Lavender Lightsaber' and 'Blue Skywalker', has rosy purple flowers and an upright, columnar habit.
- Other Veronica varieties: There are many other Veronica varieties with different colors and growth habits.
- Salvia: Salvia plants offer a similar look with a wide range of colors and forms.
- Russian Sage: This plant has fragrant, airy spires of purple to lavender flowers and a shrub-like habit.
Veronica 'Lavender Lightsaber' is a beautiful and low-maintenance perennial that would be a great addition to your garden. It is well-suited for borders, especially narrow ones, and can even thrive in containers. It is adaptable to a variety of conditions, including urban environments and coastal gardens.
Other Details
The most important part of the plant is its root system. Healthy roots are the foundation of a healthy, vibrant plant. The type of plug container used is based on the specific needs of the plants. Perennials offered as bare root traditionally perform better when planted as bare root.Planted in a specialized mix, potted plants have well established root systems. Top growth stage will vary depending on the current life cycle and time of year when shipped. In Winter and early Spring dormant plants may be shipped. Dormant plants may be planted right away, even before the last frost date.
Most bare root varieties are field grown for at least one season, though Hemerocallis and Hosta are grown for two seasons. The bulk of the soil is removed during the harvesting process and the tops of most varieties are trimmed back to the crown. They are graded, packed in shredded aspen or sphagnum moss and stored in freezers until ready to be shipped.
See our Container Sizes and Bare Root Perennials pages for more information.
Plant information and care is provided in the Overview section, Plant Genus Page and general information is provided in the Planting Care & Guides. Additional questions can be asked on each Plant page.
Plant Spacing: Using the maximum mature spread or width of a plant to guide spacing, ensures space to grow to full size. To fill an area sooner, plant them closer together. Just remember, future thinning or transplanting may be needed.
Water: Keep a close eye on newly planted perennials, especially throughout the first growing year. Most early plant loss is due to too much or too little water!
