Veronica longifolia First Glory

Veronica longifolia First Glory is a medium-sized cultivar of Long-leaved Veronica from the First series. Its flower spikes are short, thick, dense and numerous. The plant blooms for a long time in the summer in dark violet-blue. This spectacular, compact and upright perennial enlivens borders with its erect spikes and attracts pollinators. It is a plant for moist soils, ideal at the edge of water features or in a mass planting in moist soil, in full sun or partial shade.

Veronica longifolia is a herbaceous plant of the Plantain family, found in northern and central Europe and Asia. It is quite tall and forms clumps of upright stems which can sometimes reach over 1 m (3ft) in the wild. 'First Glory' is a compact, floriferous, bushy, upright form that reaches 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) high and 60 cm (24in). Its leaves can be opposite, but are often whorled in groups of three or four. The deciduous, dark green leaves have a silvery haze and are quite narrow and lanceolate, deeply toothed with short petioles, 10-12 cm (4-5in) long. Flowering takes place in July and August. The inflorescences are very dense racemes (clusters) of tightly packed tiny, tubular, intense and deep violet-blue flowers composed of four petals and two prominent stamens. The nectar-rich flowers are followed by heart-shaped seed capsules.

Veronica longifolia First Glory is perfectly hardy, and likes bright exposures and moist, rich, but light and well-drained soils. It goes well with a multitude of plants and forms magnificent summer compositions on the edges of a pond. Plant it alongside Joe-Pye weeds, meadow rues, Purple loosestrife, Queen of the prairie for example. In a wilder style, in the middle of a border, this elegant perennial forms a very successful combination with tall grasses: Miscanthus, Panicum, Stipa or repeat-flowering old roses, such as Felicia or Cornelia.