Veronica surculosa, or shoot-forming Veronica

Veronica surculosa (Veronica surculosa Boiss. et Bal.) – a species of the genus Veronica in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae). It was first described by the Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier in 1856 in his «Diagn. pl. orient. ser. 2, 3:170.»

Occurs in Asia Minor, in the alpine zone of the mountains. Grows on rocky slopes at altitudes of 2000-3000 m above sea level.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant that forms very dense and compact tufts. Height reaches 1-4 (5) cm, with a diameter up to 10 cm. Stems numerous, prostrate, thin, branched, densely glandular-hairy.

Leaves are gathered in a dense rosette near the base of the stem, reaching 0.5-1 cm in length, oblong-obovate-lanceolate to almost spatulate, blunt, with a cuneate base, with bluntly toothed or indistinctly crenate and turned-down margin, densely and glandular-hairy on both sides, gray-green, remaining green throughout the winter.

Flowers 0.7-1 cm in diameter, grouped 4-10 in short terminal, shield-shaped, dense racemes. Corolla rotate, light-blue or pink-purple. Pedicels distinct, pubescent. Flowers in June-July.

Cultivars: 'Waterperry Blue'

Hardiness zone: 4b (-23C).

Location/exposure: prefers bright light but tolerates shade. Drought-resistant.

Soil: undemanding, but prefers loose, gravelly sandy-loam soils.

Care: practically requires no maintenance. After flowering the shoots are cut back. Does not need winter shelter. For winter it is preferable to cover with conifer boughs.

Pests: butterfly caterpillars, galls, mites, weevils.

Diseases: raspberry ring spot, mycorrhiza.

Propagation: by seed and vegetatively. Seeds are sown in the ground in autumn. Seedlings appear in the second year. For cuttings use the tips of growing shoots. Easily propagated by division of the clump in early spring or in August. When transplanting, the above-ground part is cut back.

Usage: used in rockeries, terraces, and rock gardens. Forms a beautiful gray-green carpet.