Veronicastrum virginicum Album

Veronicastrum virginicum 'Album', also known as White Virginian Speedwell, is a tall perennial plant with dark green foliage and a very upright structure. It offers a long summer flowering in long, delicate spikes with a fluffy appearance, adorned with small white tubular flowers. Not invasive and easy to grow, this highly architectural plant is perfect at the back of borders, to delicately accompany other perennials with more vibrant blooms and light-coloured foliage. It favours moist to wet soils.

Veronicastrum virginicum is a plant from the Plantaginaceae family. It is native to meadows, riverbanks, ponds, ditches, and flood meadows in the eastern United States, from western Manitoba, Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and southern Texas to states along the Atlantic coast. This tall perennial produces an unbranched leafy stem 1.2 to 1.5m (4 to 5ft) high, sometimes more in rich soil. The stems divide at the top into thin, long spikes carrying a myriad of pure white flowers. The flowering period extends from July to September, crowning the plant with thin spikes about 20cm (8in) long, composed of melliferous and nectariferous small flowers. The foliage is deciduous, consisting of compound and whorled leaves. The lanceolate, rough, and toothed leaflets are arranged in a star shape around the stem. Their colour is a shiny dark green. This plant does not like to be disturbed and expands over time, forming beautiful, very slender clumps.

They are hardy plants but take time to establish. It takes 2 to 3 years of cultivation for them to become truly majestic and withstand "overcrowded" neighbours. After that, the clumps continue to grow slowly but never become invasive. Watch them carefully for 2 years, and they will remain faithful to you for 20 years. Very easy to grow in moist soil, 'Album' pairs well with a multitude of plants and creates beautiful summer compositions. Along the edges of a pond, it pairs well with Joe-Pye Weed, Purple Loosestrife, Queen of the Prairie, and Marsh Spurge. In a wilder style, at the back of a border, this imposing perennial forms a successful association with tall grasses such as Maiden Grass, Switchgrass, and Feather Grass.