Veronica armena - Speedwell

Veronica armena, the Armenian Speedwell, is a low-growing botanical species that forms a pretty little low tuft, retaining its foliage in winter. It is almost covered in a cloud of small, very bright blue flowers from early spring. Its delicate, somewhat greyish-green foliage, takes on pretty reddish hues in winter due to the cold. This mountain Veronica is very hardy and quite drought-resistant once well rooted. A beautiful rock plant, for alpine gardens or borders.

Veronica armena is a perennial plant of the Plantaginaceae family. It is native to the Caucasus and Western Asia, particularly Armenia and Georgia, where it grows in scree, rocky ledges, dry meadows, and abandoned cultivated land between 1800 and 2500 metres above sea level. This species has a rhizomatous root system. It forms a small dense tuft that does not exceed 10 cm in height and 30 cm in width. Its stems are prostrate to semi-erect, measuring 5 to 15 cm long. The leaves are very small (1.2 to 3 cm long), divided into 5 to 7 linear, needle-like lobes. They are a soft grey-green in summer, turning red in late autumn and winter due to the cold. The abundant flowering usually takes place in April, sometimes as early as March depending on the climate. Numerous floral stems emerge from the foliage, bearing 5 to 15 small flowers. Each flower has 5 irregular petals of light blue veined with deep blue, surrounding a small, bright white throat.

The Armenian Speedwell naturally lends itself to the ornamentation of rockeries, and alpine meadows, but also thrives above walls and in borders. It thrives only on well-drained soils and in full sun. It pairs well with other small rock plants: consider creeping Thymes (Thymus hirsutus, T. praecox 'Red Carpet'...), Montpellier Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides), Antennaria dioica 'Rubra', Pasque Flowers, or perennial bloody Cranesbill.