Twolobe Speedwell: A Hardy Ground Cover with European Roots
Meet twolobe speedwell (Veronica biloba), a small but tenacious annual that’s made itself quite at home across North America despite its European origins. This unassuming little plant might not win any beauty contests, but it’s got some interesting qualities that make it worth knowing about, whether you’re dealing with difficult growing conditions or simply curious about the plants popping up in your garden.
What Makes Twolobe Speedwell Special
The name biloba gives away this plant’s most distinctive feature – its tiny flowers have deeply two-lobed petals that create a charming, almost heart-shaped appearance. These small white to pale blue blooms appear on low-growing plants that rarely exceed a few inches in height. As an annual forb, twolobe speedwell completes its entire life cycle in one growing season, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s delicate. This little survivor has colonized areas from British Columbia down to Colorado and from the Pacific Northwest all the way to New York.
Where You’ll Find It Growing Wild
Twolobe speedwell has established populations across a impressive range of states and provinces, including British Columbia, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. This non-native species has proven remarkably adaptable to North American conditions, reproducing spontaneously and persisting without human intervention.
Garden Potential and Considerations
While twolobe speedwell isn’t native to North America, it’s also not currently listed as invasive, putting it in that gray area that many gardeners navigate. Here’s what you should know if you’re considering it for your landscape:
The Good
- Extremely hardy and drought-tolerant once established
- Thrives in poor soils where other plants struggle
- Provides modest pollinator benefits for small bees and flies
- Self-sows readily, requiring minimal maintenance
- Works well as a gap filler in rock gardens or naturalized areas
The Not-So-Good
- Can spread aggressively in favorable conditions
- Being non-native, it doesn’t provide the same ecosystem benefits as native plants
- May outcompete native species in some situations
- Annual nature means it dies back completely each winter
Growing Conditions and Care
If you do decide to work with twolobe speedwell, you’ll find it refreshingly undemanding. This plant thrives in USDA hardiness zones 3-9 and prefers:
- Full sun to partial shade
- Well-drained soils (though it tolerates poor drainage reasonably well)
- Minimal supplemental watering once established
- Little to no fertilization – it actually prefers lean soils
The plant essentially takes care of itself through self-seeding, though you may want to manage its spread if you don’t want it taking over larger areas.
Native Alternatives to Consider
While twolobe speedwell can fill certain niches in the garden, native alternatives will always provide superior ecological benefits. Consider these native ground covers instead:
- Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) for shaded areas
- Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) for sunny, acidic soils
- Native sedums like Sedum acre for rock gardens
- Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) for edible ground cover
The Bottom Line
Twolobe speedwell occupies an interesting position in the North American plant world – it’s naturalized enough to be part of the landscape in many areas, yet foreign enough that it doesn’t provide the deep ecological connections that native species offer. If you already have it growing on your property, there’s no urgent need to remove it unless it’s crowding out native plants you’d prefer to encourage. However, if you’re starting from scratch, you’ll likely get more bang for your buck (and better support local wildlife) by choosing native alternatives that fill similar ecological niches.
Whether you embrace it or replace it, understanding plants like twolobe speedwell helps us make more informed decisions about the landscapes we create and maintain.
