Photographs: Goleen, Co. Cork

Hedge Veronica Veronica x franciscana, Veronica elliptica x speciosa (Hebe elliptica x speciosa) Niamhscoth Phroinséis Family: Scrophulariaceae Flowering: July-October. Evergreen shrub. Introduced. A fertile hybrid with racemes of rich violet-blue flowers that seed freely. The evergreen oval leaves are glossy dark-green, 4-7cm long and hairless. Forms a +/- rounded bush and is less frost-tender than many Hebes. Height 1-2 m. A widely planted and locally naturalised garden escape increasing around Irish coasts on cliffs, walls, dunes and waste ground.

Hedge Veronica, Veronica x franciscana, Niamhscoth Phroinséis