This plant was a volunteer to my garden about 3 years ago and got rescued and moved by me from its original appearance in an unruly spot in the yard. I moved it to the flower bed beside the patio where it was overpowered by an overgrown oregano plant. The oregano has been moved and lo and behold this little plant is covered in the most beautiful little flowers. As you can see from the pics the flowers are smaller than my fingernail, about 1 cm or less across. I think you would describe the colour as cornflower blue. The leaves are a pale green. Any info you can give me would be appreciated - it's a lovely little thing and I'd like to take proper care of it. Thanks.
I have the same little plant, a neighbour gave me some about 4 years ago and I planted it along side my creeping thymes, it's holding it's own and now is starting to creep onto my lawn, which is fine. In the past I have usually given it a haircut in the fall to clean it up a bit, it's easier in the fall then the spring. It's also moving into my scotch moss area. Hopefully it won't get to invasive.
Thank you Abgardeneer! It is indeed a veronica persica. I am confused, though as wikipedia says it is an 'annual or winter annual', but this is the 4th year I have had this plant, and due to the problems of interference with other plants, etc. it has had maybe one bloom in each of the previous 3 summers. How then can it be an annual? so maybe there is a perennial variety?? I googled veronica persica and notice it is listed on www.ontarioweeds.com. Can anyone tell me if it is invasive? It doesn't seem to be as it has taken me 4 years to get a very small plant (it's planted in the hole of a cinder block, beside some variety of creeping time, and they both are adding a nice little touch to my herb garden bed. Thanks everyone for your input.
I have been told that it is a very "nasty" weed here in BC. In less than one year, it went from non-existant to now covering almost 3/4 of my lawn. I'm not sure where it came from, since I didn't have it in my garden, but I've heard that the seeds can sit dormant for many years before popping up in the right conditions.
Germander speedwell, or bird's eye (Veronica chamaedrys). An Old World plant that has been naturalized elsewhere. Cheers, Harri Harmaja http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/harmaja/index.htm
Some really nice close up pics on this site from the Isle of Skye, in Scotland. http://www.plant-identification.co.uk/skye/scrophulariaceae/veronica-chamaedrys.htm
