Gardeners who love the color blue know that veronicas provides some of the clearest, truest blues in the perennial border; other flower colors are also available. Another common name is speedwell.

Although low-growing varieties are available, the most common veronicas form attractive 1- to 3-foot-tall mounds. Narrow spikes of tiny flowers adorn the plant in midsummer and are superb in bouquets. Flower colors include pink, blue, and white.

Easy care/low maintenance
Good for cut flowers
Attracts butterflies

Select a site with full sun and moist, well-drained soil.

Plant in spring, spacing plants 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on the variety. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot the plant is in. Carefully remove the plant from its container and place it in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Carefully fill in around the root ball and firm the soil gently. Water thoroughly.

Apply a thin layer of compost each spring, followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. Water plants during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Stake tall varieties to keep them upright. After the first killing frost, cut stems back to an inch or two above soil line. Divide plants every 3 to 4 years as new growth begins in the spring, lifting plants and dividing them into clumps.