Verbena (Vervain)
Verbena species and hybrids. VERBENACEAE.
Planting and Growing Verbena
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow verbena in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of verbena
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for verbena
- Season of bloom and planting time for verbena
- When, how deep, and where to plant verbena
- How to plant verbena
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of verbena
- Landscape and container uses of verbena
- Comments about verbena and its features
Growing Verbena
About 200 species and many hybrids of upright or low and spreading annual and perennial herbs or shrubs, 8–18 in. (20–45 cm) tall. Opposite, hairy, deep green, oval, bluntly toothed leaves, to 4 in. (10 cm) long.
Commonly cultivated species include big-bract verbena, Verbena bracteata; blue verbena or vervain, Verbena hastate; rose verbena or vervain, Verbena canadensis; and slender vervain, Verbena rigida.
See also Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla) and Shrub Verbena (Lantana hybrids). Lemon verbena is within the same plant family as true verbena, but shrub verbena is an unrelated species.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many pink, purple, red, white, yellow, broad, flat flowers, 1/2‑in. (12‑mm) wide, in clusters on wiry stems, in late spring–autumn.
Best Climates
Tender. Plant as annual, zones 3–7; ground hardy, zones 8–9.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich–average. 6.5–7.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun, 1–2 ft. (30–60 cm) apart, depending on variety, after frost hazard has passed.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; avoid wetting foliage. Fertilize semi-monthly. Propagate by cuttings, division.
About This Plant
Good choice for accents, beds, borders, containers, edgings, ground covers in cottage, meadow, natural, wildlife gardens. Attracts birds, butterflies, hummingbirds. Invasive, zones 8–9. Budworm, verbena leaf miner, verbena yellow woolly-bear caterpillar and powdery mildew susceptible.