Veronica chamaedrys
| Veronica chamaedrys | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Mid Summer |
| Meadows Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Veronica chamaedrys (common name: germander speedwell)
Propagation: Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient quantity, the seed can be sown in situ in the autumn or the spring.
Division in autumn or spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a moderately fertile moisture retentive well drained soil[1]. Prefers cool summers[1].
A good bee plant[2].
A common garden weed, it grows well in a lawn[1] and can be grown in the spring meadow[2]. It is also a good plant for the flower border[3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, north and western Asia.
Habitat: A common plant of grassland, woods, hedges etc[3][4][5].
Edibility: The leaves are a tea substitute[6][7].
Medicinal: The herb is a blood purifier and vulnerary[8]. It is applied externally to skin diseases and is said to be an efficacious treatment for the itch[8]. Internally, an infusion of the leaves once had a good reputation in the treatment of coughs, asthma, catarrh etc[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.