Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’ on 6-1-14, #228-82.
Spiked Speedwell
Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’
PP23853
Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’ was hybridized by Kevin Hurd of Walter’s Gardens and introduced in 2011. It is the result of an open pollination of Veronica spicata ‘Foxy Lady’ (sport of Veronica spicata ‘Red Fox’) as the female parent and an unknown male parent. It was introduced as part of the MAGIC SHOW® Collection. Walter’s Gardens has introduced Veronica ‘Wizard of Ahhs’ as an improvement over ‘Hocus Pocus’.
The genus, Veronica L., was described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.
As of 12-22-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 461 species in the Veronica genus. It is a member of the plant family Plantaginaceae with 107 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’ on 6-29-14, #230-85.
I brought this Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’ home from Lowe’s in the spring of 2014. I had grown other Veronica cultivars and I was anxious to see what this one had to offer.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Plantaginaceae.
Origin: Hybrid.
Type: Herbaceous perennial.
Zones: USDA Zones 4a-8b (-30 to 15° F/-34.4 to -9.4° C).*
Size: 12-18” +/- tall x 12: wide.
Light: Sun to light shade.
Flowers: Violet-purple from June through August.
Soil: Average, well-drained soil amended with compost if needed.
Water: Average water needs. Best with consistent moisture.
Attracts birds and butterflies. Great for beds, borders, containers, and cut flowers.
Remove faded flowers to keep the plant looking tidy and continued flowering. Plants may be cut back to basal growth after flowering.
*Depends on what website you look at. Dave’s Garden says USDA Zones 4a-9b.
Veronica spicata ‘Hocus Pocus’ on 7-12-14, #231-91.
The Veronica ‘Hocus Pocus’ did very well over the summer in 2014 and was continually blooming until we had our first “F”. Unfortunately, it did not return in the spring of 2015.
Veronica are easy to grow in average, well-draining soil. They prefer consistent moisture soil but sometimes I get busy here on the farm and neglect my watering duties. They do not like wet soil and poor drainage but you can control this by growing them in pots. If your soil has a high amount of clay, you need to amend the soil with compost. You can also dig the hole deeper for the plant and add compost that way.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus, species, and/or cultivar of this plant. If you notice I made an error, please let me know. Of course, you can always send me an email at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.
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