Brooklime, sometimes known as Veronica Beccabunga, is a low-growing, evergreen marginal pond plant endemic to the United Kingdom and Europe. This blooming plantain belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is one of the hundreds of medicinal species in the Veronica genus.
Brooklime may grow up to 30 cm tall and thrives in full sun or soft shade. It may grow amid damp grass in marshy and muddy wetlands and shallow streams, ditches, ponds, and lakes. They float across the water’s surface, creating a lovely raft of rich green leaves and tiny blue blooms.
Nature’s way of expressing joy is flowers. This article focuses on how to plant Brooklime in a pond properly. So, let’s get started.
Brooklime’s Background
Brooklime is a fleshy, succulent plant that grows along the edges of brooks, streams, and ditches, as well as in very moist soil. It blooms from May to September and produces spikes of beautiful blue flowers, although its leaves can last all year. It’s an excellent choice for wildlife pond margins since it’s low-maintenance and provides shelter for tadpoles and sticklebacks.
It has simple, leathery leaves with slightly serrated edges and white veins that grow in pairs. Each leaf axil produces a flower stem from late spring through summer. Large, spherical leaves and thick, juicy stalks that grow creeping and erect characterize this plant. It has tiny blue blooms that are borne in pairs on the stalks.
Step By Step Guide On How to Plant Brooklime in a Pond
Let’s get the right things done faster and learn how to plant Brooklime in a pond.
Step 01.
Brooklime can be sown from seeds or grown by division. If you’ve obtained seeds, sow them in the fall and cover them with a cold frame or greenhouse. The germination substrate should be kept wet all of the time. It should work with pots in a tray with a few inches of standing water.
Step 02.
The seedlings should be large enough to transplant in the spring of the following year when they should be placed in their pots. In the summer, you may outplant them, giving each one approximately a foot of linear space around the pond’s border.
Step 03.
Cuttings are the most effective technique to cultivate this creeping plant. It’s surprisingly simple to get runners to create new roots and shoots. After a few days to weeks in contact with damp soil, they quickly do so.
Step 04.
Please keep in mind that these plug plants will need to be potted into appropriate circumstances as soon as they arrive.
Half-fill a good fine-mesh basket with aquatic soil. Place the plant in the basket’s center. When putting the plant, be cautious not to injure the roots. Fill the rest of the basket with dirt—lightly compact the dirt around the plant’s crown to within 2.5cm of the basket’s top. Apply a layer of washed horticultural gravel on the surface. Submerge the re-potted plant in the pond to enable water to absorb while preventing seepage.
Brooklime Facts, Benefits, and Applications
If your pond is located within the European Union, you should consider producing this marginal plant due to its multiple benefits. It’s a natural plant that may attract pollinators such as honeybees, butterflies, moths, and beetles to your area. The healthy foliage is then consumed by the larvae of a variety of pollinators.
Its rafting stems and roots can filter extra nutrients from the pond water, in addition to increasing its aesthetic value and attractiveness to potential pond visitors. The leaf canopy of the pond provides enough shade and safety for visiting amphibians, encouraging them to breed and lay eggs.
There are a few traditional applications for this species as well. Scurvy was once treated with V. beccabunga, which was an antiscorbutic. Unfortunately, if exposed to ambient oxygen, the plant juice loses its vitamin C concentration, making it an ineffectual remedy. However, because it may work as a mild diuretic and laxative, frequent ingestion in salads may have helped its customers. Its leaves were also used to cure ulcers and burns on the skin.
After Care of Brooklime
Cutaway any rotting foliage. As needed, report. Fertilize once a year, in the late spring if possible. Do not leave undesired plants to rot in the wild. This also prevents the plant’s surface runners and roots from increasing their coverage area considerably.
Annual pruning may be beneficial, although it is not required unless rotting or pest-infested stems. Please keep in mind that these species are non-invasive and suited for ornamental or wildlife ponds. Excess growth of any species utilized in a horticultural setting should be carefully disposed of and never released into the wild.
FAQ
Does Fish eat brooklime?
Fish may eat brooklime roots and shoots that appear to hang in shallow water occasionally. Because the plant is bitter, they are unlikely to ingest large amounts. Furthermore, it swiftly creates new roots and shoots to replace those destroyed.
In a pond, where does Brooklime grow?
Small, spherical green leaves grow in a raft on creeping stalks. This offers shade for the pond and covers the fish and other pond life. In the summer, lovely blue flowers bloom.
Is Brooklime an evergreen?
Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga) is an evergreen creeping border plant blooms in pairs from the leaf base from May to September.
What is the best way to propagate Brooklime?
Brooklime can be sown from seeds or grown by division. If you’ve obtained seeds, sow them in the fall and cover them with a cold frame or greenhouse. The germination substrate should be kept wet all of the time. It should work with pots in a tray with a few inches of standing water.
Is it possible to consume Brooklime?
The bitter brooklime can be eaten fresh in salads like watercress or prepared by boiling or steaming like a potherb. To balance and compliment the harshness of this wild food, combine it with intensely flavored greens.
Closing words
This fast-growing British native species makes an excellent border plant, producing glossy green trailing leaves and small blue flowers throughout the summer. It may be clipped regularly for a more compact plant and stimulate more blooming. The waxy leaves are evergreen and remain all winter, surviving frosts and ice, making it one of the few natural plants that add interest to the pond in the winter.
As a result, these instructions and information can assist you in planting Brooklime. Now you should carefully plant your seeds according to the methods above so that you can enjoy the seasons.
Best of luck!
