Veronica austriaca ssp. teucrium 'Crater Lake Blue' - AUSTRIAN SPEEDWELL 'CRATER LAKE BLUE'

Mounds of smaller leaves, intense gentian blue flowers in early summer.

For average, somewhat drained soils. Pollinator friendly and black walnut tolerant.

Blooming time : May/June
Size: 12-15" tall x 8-12" wide clumps
USDA Zones: 4 to 8
Culture: Sun, partial sun. In hotter climates is better spot with some shade during the day (especially afternoon shade). Avoid wet and waterlogged soils. Established plants tolerate some droughts and drier conditions
Moisture Needs: average - medium to medium-dry
Origin: Europe, eastern Asia. Clonaly propagated cultivar of garden origin
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: yes / yes
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: possibly some/attracts honeybees and possibly some small native bees
Attracts Hummingbirds: no
Pot Size: square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot
Pictures Copyright: Tom Fischer, Facebook

Plant Combinations: Best for the front or edge of flower bed, rock garden, crevice gardens, bigger trough or bigger container. Trouble free plant, may need to be cut back after flowering (for better and fresh leaves).

Can be combined with many common perennials. But looks very well with blue, or blue-purple flowers of shorter cultivars of : summer blooming Allium, Amsonia, Agastache, Aster (novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'  for example), Calamintha nepeta 'Blue Cloud', Coreopsis, Baptisia, Dalea, Dracocephallum, shorter Echinacea, Eryngium, shorter Gaura, Geranium, shorter Hemerocallis, shorter Leucanthemum, shorter Liatris, Kalimeris 'Blue Star' , Iris x barbata 'Nana' and 'Media', Paeonia, Penstemon, Platycodon, Phox (creeping phloxes Phlox subulata, Phlox carolina hybrids), Salvia nemorosa hybrids, Satureja, Origanum, Paeonia, Ruellia humilis, Scabiosa columbaria, Scutellaria ovata, Sisyrinchium, Stokesia, Tradescantia, Stachys 'Hummelo'.or Verbena canadensis. Goes well with shorter or medium-sized grasses like Boutelloa gracilis or B. curtipendula, Koeleria cristata, Sporobolus heterolepis 'Tara' (or non-native Sesleria), Muhlenbergia, shorter Panicum.