Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga)

A hardy, easy-to-grow marginal plant that thrives in boggy ground, pond edges, and along streams. Its trailing stems sprawl across the water or cascade down the sides of raised ponds, rooting where they touch the damp soil. This evergreen perennial produces small, bright blue (or occasionally pink) flowers from late spring to summer, attracting bees, butterflies, and hoverflies.

A favourite among amphibians, it offers shelter for tadpoles and is an ideal spot for newts to lay their eggs.

Brooklime grows well in full sun or partial shade and is perfect for wildlife ponds, shallow water, or damp shady borders. With its fleshy leaves and creeping habit, it provides excellent cover for aquatic wildlife while being easy to control – simply trim back if it gets too leggy.

Details

• Native: Yes
• Sun: Full sun to part shade
• Depth: 5
• Height max: 25
• Spread max: 60
• RHS PFP: Yes
• Evergreen: Yes

Care Instructions

Brooklime is easy to maintain – just remove dead foliage in late summer or autumn and trim back if it becomes leggy. If new roots have formed in the surrounding soil, you can divide the plant to encourage fresh growth.

Repotting Instructions

Can also be planted in very wet soil – do not allow to dry out.

9cm marginal plants require potting into a mesh basket. Place in a pond no deeper than 1/3 maximum recommended planting depth to allow the plants to establish.

1ltr marginal plants do not require repotting but will benefit from a bigger basket, there is no need to remove the mesh basket. Place in pond no deeper than 1/2 maximum recommended planting depth to allow the plants to establish. Plants over 60cm height growth will benefit from repotting into a larger mesh basket or should be planted in gravel to prevent them from falling over in a breeze.

3ltr and 5ltr plants do not require repotting; there is no need to remove the mesh basket. Place on the shelf of the pond at the required depth.