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One of those plants that I saw offered for sale (Duchy Nursery) and picked it up without needing to think. Winter flowering shrubs are a precious delight
and the white form of this Veronica has performed well in the garden. It would have been stupid to turn away from a purple flowered one. Trees and Shrubs online says: "Native of the North Island of New Zealand. A very striking species but also very tender. The form decribed as var. latisepala, now reduced to synonymy, has flowers that are bluish purple or deep violet. Calyx-lobes short and broad. Racemes usually shorter than the leaves." I am going to ignore the inconvenient reduction to synonymy, the purple form is so remarkable. The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network says: "Bushy shrub bearing pairs of narrow leaves and spikes of small violet flowers inhabiting Great and Little Barrier Islands. Leaves to 163mm long. Leaf bud without gap at base. Flowers closely spaced, with long threads (anthers), in spikes around equal leaf length. Generally, V. var. latisepala is distinguished from V. var. macrocarpa by having mauve or violet flowers, compared to the white flowers of the latter. It occurs in coastal to upland areas, in scrub, at forest margins or in open areas in forest, and on rocky sites." |
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| 1st April 2023 | ||
