perennial
Spike speedwell 'Royal Candles'
Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Spike speedwell 'Royal Candles' is a perennial hardy in zones 3–8. It grows 1–1.5 ft tall and 1–1.5 ft wide, so plant it 1.25 ft apart. Give it full sun to part sun and average water. It flowers blue in June to August. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles'
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 8
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Average, well-drained soil.
- Mature size
- 1–1.5 ft tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.25 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug · blue
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- cottage, modern, classic
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $10–$16 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Cut spent spikes for rebloom.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- Modern planting for a sunny bed in zone 6 (as a substitute)
- Modern planting for a sunny bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Spike speedwell 'Royal Candles', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Lamb's ear 'Helen von Stein'Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'perennial · zones 4–8
- Feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster'Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'ornamental grass · zones 4–9
- Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica'Picea glauca 'Conica'shrub · zones 3–7
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln'Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Garden phlox 'David'Phlox paniculata 'David'perennial · zones 4–8
- Weigela 'Wine & Roses'Weigela florida 'Alexandra'shrub · zones 4–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Spike speedwell 'Royal Candles': same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- Stonecrop 'Autumn Joy'Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'zones 3–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Meadow sage 'May Night'Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'zones 4–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam'Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'zones 3–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Hardy geranium 'Rozanne'Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne)zones 5–8 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants