"Mark Elliott" wrote in message
. ..
I've got a patch of Veronica in a sunny border opposite our kitchen
window.
My wife hates it.

It's far too straggly, sothers nearby plants and looks a mess. It does
bloom
all summer long and has a fragrance of sorts.

What should I replace it with? I need something about 15 to 18 inches
tall,
I'd quite like to have flowers all summer long and the blue / purple
colour
looks fine. The replacement should be a bit better behaved and happy in
neutral / acid soil. There's plenty of shelter (we rarely get big frosts)
and the soild is reasonably moist all year.

Thanks


Mark

I've just bought a packet of Ageratum seeds ( Blue Mink ) and they are
billed as blooming from june to october, but I think they're shorter than
your requirements. Also, the perennial wallflower, Erysimum, flowers for
9 months of the year allegedly ( get the Bowles' Mauve variety ).
Unfortunately that can get to 36", but is evergreen. Another option might
be Linaria Purpuria, Purple Toadflax, which grows as a weed around here
but I have coopted it into my garden scheme, it seems to flower for ages,
but is probably on average 24" high.

Andy