Royal Candles is one of the easier perennials to keep happy: a short clump of violet-blue spikes that asks mainly for sun and the right amount of water. It is fussy about water in two directions, though. It dislikes dry soil and it dislikes soggy soil, and getting that balance right matters more than anything else you do. A few minutes with pruners after the first flush of flowers also decides whether you get one burst of color or a whole summer of it.
Sun and Spot Royal Candles Needs
Royal Candles flowers best in full sun.1Nursery Management. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles In the South, though, it does better with partial shade,2Nursery Management. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles and it tolerates light shade in general.3Rare Roots. Veronica Royal Candles Speedwell for Sale In hot regions, a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade suits it well.
To pick the spot, watch your yard for a day and count the hours of direct sun. Six or more is the aim in the North. Where summers are hot, shade from a house or tree after about 2 p.m. keeps the flowers from fading quickly. Too much shade has its own cost: the stems lean and the plant flowers less.
The plant grows about 10 to 12 inches tall in a tight upright clump,4Missouri Botanical Garden. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles and it spreads only about 6 to 9 inches.5Missouri Botanical Garden. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles That makes it a natural fit for the front of a border, in front of taller plants.6High Country Gardens. Royal Candles Speedwell, Veronica spicata Royal Candles It also works in containers, as edging, or massed as a ground cover.7Rare Roots. Veronica Royal Candles Speedwell for Sale Space plants about a foot apart so air moves between them, which also helps prevent mildew later.
The plant itself will tell you if the spot is wrong. Scorched or crispy leaf edges, along with flowers that fade within a day or two, suggest the spot is too hot or too dry, not that the plant needs more light. Stems that stretch and lean toward the light, with sparse flowers, point to too much shade. If a plant already in the ground shows these signs, moving it in early spring or early fall is gentler than moving it in midsummer.
Soil and Watering
Royal Candles grows best in moderately fertile, loamy soil but tolerates many soil types.8Nursery Management. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles Drainage matters most, particularly in winter.9Missouri Botanical Garden. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ It does best in slightly acidic soil, around pH 5.5 to 6.2.10Greenhouse Product News. Veronica spicata Royal Candles A home kit or a lab test through a local extension office gives you an actual number, and it’s worth doing once before planting rather than guessing. If the soil is too alkaline, working in compost or peat-based amendments can nudge it down slowly, but changes take months, not days.
The plant has shallow roots and does not tolerate dry soil.11Missouri Botanical Garden. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ If it dries out completely, it looks worse and blooms less.12Rare Roots. Veronica Royal Candles Speedwell for Sale Wet, poorly drained soil is no better, since it can cause root rot, especially in winter.13Nursery Management. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles
To judge when to water, push a finger an inch into the soil and water when it feels dry at that depth. Water deeply at the base rather than wetting the leaves. Because the roots sit near the surface, expect to water more often in hot spells. A thin layer of mulch slows drying, but keep it off the stems.
If you have heavy clay or ground that stays soggy, mix compost into the planting hole and the area around it to loosen the soil. Plant on a slight mound or in a raised bed if water puddles after rain, and avoid low spots where snowmelt collects. To test drainage first, fill a hole with water and check that it empties within a few hours.
Deadheading for Blooms All Summer
The main bloom runs roughly June to August,14Missouri Botanical Garden. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles and flowering is heaviest in June.15GardenLady.com. I Love Veronica spicata Royal Candles aka Royal Candles speedwell Deadheading, which means removing faded flowers, stretches the season.16Rare Roots. Veronica Royal Candles Speedwell for Sale Cutting a spent stem down to the next bud pushes that bud to grow into a new spike,17Plant Addicts. Pruning Speedwell and removing a spent spike stops the plant from putting energy into making seed, and it redirects that energy toward new side shoots.18Plant Addicts. Pruning Speedwell A plant left alone will often flower once and then sit as green foliage the rest of summer.
For a few plants, snip each brown spike just above the next side bud. For a mass planting, you can shear off the first flowers with hedge trimmers once they fade.19GardenLady.com. I Love Veronica spicata Royal Candles aka Royal Candles speedwell Feeding after that cut helps prompt more flowers.20GardenLady.com. I Love Veronica spicata Royal Candles aka Royal Candles speedwell
A spike is finished when most of its florets have browned and dropped, starting from the bottom. Look down the stem for small leaf pairs with tiny buds and cut just above them. Doing this every week or two works better than one big cleanup. Later spikes are usually shorter and fewer than the June show, and that is normal.
After the last flowers, leave the leafy base in place. Cut old stems to the ground in late fall or early spring. Clearing away dead material reduces places where disease can hide.
Fertilizing Without Overdoing It
Nitrogen, the N on a fertilizer label, mainly feeds leaf growth.21Plant Addicts. Fertilizing Speedwell Too much makes floppy top growth instead of strong roots for winter.22Plant Addicts. Fertilizing Speedwell A mix with higher P and K (phosphorus and potassium) boosts blooms and roots,23Plant Addicts. Fertilizing Speedwell so pick a bloom-type fertilizer where the second and third numbers are higher than the first.
Feed once in spring as new growth starts, then give a second light feeding right after the first deadheading. If your soil is moderately fertile, the plant may need little extra, and compost may be enough. Stop feeding by late summer so the plant can harden off for winter.
Follow the amount printed on the label for perennials, and use less if in doubt, since this plant is small. Scatter granular fertilizer around the plant rather than piling it against the stems, and water it in afterward.
Why Your Plant Is Wilting or Turning White
Royal Candles is generally fairly free of insects and disease.24Greenhouse Product News. Veronica spicata Royal Candles This cultivar also holds its lower leaves and resists leaf spot.25Rare Roots. Veronica Royal Candles Speedwell for Sale When trouble does come, wilting, yellowing and collapse from mushy roots and crown signal root rot.26Sow. Veronica (Speedwell) Care: Growing Spiky Blue Flowers Overwatering and poor drainage cause the rot,27ask.extension.org. What is wrong with my Veronica, Speedwell ‘Pink Candles’? so prevent it with well-drained soil and by not overwatering.28Sow. Veronica (Speedwell) Care: Growing Spiky Blue Flowers Thirst and rot both make a plant droop, so check the soil before watering. Dry, crumbly soil with crisp leaves points to thirst. Wet soil with yellow, limp leaves and a soft base points to rot. To be sure, gently lift the plant or scrape away soil at the crown to see what is happening below the surface. Healthy roots are firm and pale, while rotted roots are brown or black, soft and often smell sour. A rotted crown rarely recovers, so pull the plant and fix the drainage before replanting.
Powdery mildew starts as small white, talc-like spots on upper leaves.29Greenhouse Product News. How to Care for Royal Candles Veronica Under the right conditions it can coat the whole plant.30Greenhouse Product News. How to Care for Royal Candles Veronica It thrives in low light, days around 60 to 80°F with cool nights, and crowded plants,31Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks. Veronica-Powdery Mildew so spacing, airflow and low humidity are the main controls.32Greenhouse Product News. How to Care for Royal Candles Veronica If it appears, remove the worst leaves and thin crowded neighbors. Water in the morning at the soil so the leaves dry quickly.
Aphids, whiteflies and thrips occasionally cause problems, and aphids are the most common.33Greenhouse Product News. Veronica spicata Royal Candles Blast them off with a hose spray or use insecticidal soap.
Winter Hardiness
Royal Candles is perennial in USDA zones 5 to 8.34Plant Addicts. Royal Candles Speedwell Find yours on the USDA map by entering your ZIP code. Outside those zones the plant is grown as an annual or in pots.35Plant Addicts. Royal Candles Speedwell Plants near the edges of the range, such as zone 5 or 8, are more likely to struggle than those in the middle. A sheltered spot beside a wall can make your garden slightly warmer than the map suggests.
Cold alone is not the bigger threat. Wet winter soil is, through root rot.36Nursery Management. Veronica spicata ‘Glory’ Royal Candles Don’t pile heavy mulch on the crown, where stems meet roots. In pots, move the container to a sheltered spot so it doesn’t sit in icy water. New growth appears in mid-spring, so wait before deciding the plant is dead.
Dividing and Growing in Pots
Dividing every three or four years in early spring or early fall keeps plants vigorous.37The Spruce. How to Grow Veronica Spicata (Spiked Speedwell) Take divisions from the outer edges, which root better.38The Spruce. How to Grow Veronica Spicata (Spiked Speedwell) A clump with a bare or woody center and growth only at the edges is ready, and fewer blooms and weaker stems can also signal crowding. Divide on a cool, cloudy day if possible so the roots do not dry out in the sun.
Dig around the clump and lift it with a spade. Cut the outer sections into pieces, each with roots and shoots, and discard the woody center. Replant at the same depth and water well for the first few weeks. Softwood cuttings in late spring or summer can also be rooted in pots.39The Spruce. How to Grow Veronica Spicata (Spiked Speedwell)
The compact size suits containers.40Rare Roots. Veronica Royal Candles Speedwell for Sale Pots dry faster, though, and the shallow roots dislike drying out. Choose a pot with drainage holes, at least 10 inches wide, and fill it with potting mix, not garden soil. Check moisture daily in summer heat.
Deer, Pollinators and Cut Flowers
The flowers attract bees and butterflies.41NC State Extension. Veronica spicata To help them find it, plant it in a group, since a single plant is easy to overlook. Avoid spraying insecticides while the plant is in bloom, because they can harm visiting bees.
It is generally considered deer and rabbit resistant,42Gardenia. Veronica spicata ‘Royal Candles’ (Spike Speedwell) because deer dislike its slightly bitter taste.43PlantWise. Is Veronica Deer Resistant? Honest Answer A hungry deer may still eat it, though, and some gardeners report damage.44High Country Gardens. Royal Candles Speedwell, Veronica spicata Royal Candles Young, tender spring growth is more likely to be browsed than mature plants. If deer are common where you live, watch the plant through its first season before relying on it.
Browsing shows as ragged, torn-off spike tips. Repellent sprays are an option, renewed after rain. Planting near more strongly scented plants that deer avoid may help, and cutting the stems back often lets the plant regrow and rebloom.
For cut flowers, choose stems whose lower florets are just opening for the longest vase life.45Thursd. Discover the Charm of Cut Veronica Flowers in Floral Design Recut them at an angle, strip the lower leaves and place them in water with flower food.46Lacy Bird. Veronica: Season, Vase Life & Substitutes Veronica drinks heavily, so keep vases topped up.47Lacy Bird. Veronica: Season, Vase Life & Substitutes Pull off faded lower florets and keep the vase cool and away from drafts.48Lacy Bird. Veronica: Season, Vase Life & Substitutes