Hi I bought from walmart “Veronica var. Georgia Blue Speedwell” plant as per label. I have been looking for “Turkish speedwell (veronica liwanensis)”. Are these 2 the same? Thank you very much.
The plant you bought is Veronica var. Georgia Blue Speedwell which has the scientific name Veronica peduncularis ‘Georgia Blue’ or the synonym Veronica umbrosa ‘Georgia Blue’. It is not the same as Veronica liwanensis Turkish speedwell.
Both are groundcovers but Veronica liwanensis is shorter – 4″-6″ versus 1″-2″ and in terms of spread V. liwanensis is also a bit smaller. Veronica liwanensis is sturdy enough for light foot traffic. Another difference is plant hardiness. The plant you bought is hardy from Canadian Zone 7. As Toronto is in zone 6, one zone colder, you should probably mulch your plants well before winter. Sometime nurseries here sell things which are only marginally hardy. Veronica liwanensis is hardy from Zone 4, which is a colder zone than here in Toronto.
American and Canadian hardness zones are not the same. If the USA lists 3-9, here in Canada the equivalent would be 4-10. the Agriculture Canada hardiness zone system does not match the one used in the United States, that of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Among others, the American system only considers the minimum temperature in a given region, not the duration of the minimum temperature. When temperatures drop to -15˚C (5˚F) for one night, it doesn’t affect a plant nearly as much as when the temperature stays at -15˚C (5˚F) for a week. The Canadian hardiness zone map reflects this detail and also other factors (snow cover, etc.), giving a more realistic picture of local conditions. The result of these differences is that there is about a one zone difference between the two systems. For example, a plant labelled with the USDA hardiness zone 5 is actually a zone 6 in the Canadian system.
Veronica umbrosa Georgia Blue:
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=255674
Veronica liwanensis Turkish Speedwell:
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z750