Continuously blooming verbena graces rock gardens, trellises, walls, and containers.
Verbena is the ideal plant to cascade over retaining walls, containers, baskets, and window boxes.
Verbena flowers are held in constantly blooming circles atop the tips of the stems.
Credit: Andy Lyons
These flower stalks bloom all season long and continue to grow, producing new buds all the time.
This eliminatesthe need for deadheading, as they bloom on top of wilted flowers.
Other varieties are more upright and a good option for smaller spaces and containers.
Credit: Andy Lyons
Verbenagrows as an annualin many areas but is hardy inUSDA Zones7-9.
Loosen well-draining soil to a depth of 12 inches and space the plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
Remove the verbenas from their pots and loosen the roots if they are pot-bound.
Credit: Andy Lyons
The plant will live with only six hours of sun daily but wont flower prolifically.
Soil and Water
Soil that is not well-draining should beamended with compostor leaf mold before planting verbena.
The plant tolerates several soil conditions, but having wet feet is not one of them.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Temperature and Humidity
Verbena plants are cool weather stars.
In the heat of the summer, they may slow down their showy display.
In general, verbenas are not fans of heat and humidity.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Annual verbenas dont perform well in hot, damp summers.
For the amount to use, follow the product label directions.
Pruning
When the summer heat arrives, annual verbenas may slow down on blooming or become leggy.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Potting and Repotting Verbena
Verbenas are excellent additions towindow boxes, hanging baskets, or other containers.
The size of verbenas varies considerably; choose a pot that will hold three plants for the best display.
Select containers that offer excellent drainage and fill them with high-quality potting medium.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Dont move the container outside until after thelast frost in spring.
Put the container in a sunny spot and water it when the soil is dry to 1 inch.
If your verbena is an annual, it wont need repotting; it will die at seasons end.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Pests and Problems
As far as problems go, verbenas are relatively free of disease.
It will not kill a plant but will stress it.
Cleaning up old material is the best prevention.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Rotate placement so the same susceptible plants arent in the same spot each year.
When starting from seed, sprinkle seeds over rich,well-draining topsoilin spring and dont cover them.
Keep the soil moist, and the seeds will germinate in a few weeks.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Start plants from cuttingsin late spring.
Cut a 3-inch stem with no flowers on it.
Place the pot with cutting inside a clear plastic bag.
Credit: Andy Lyons
Place it in a location that receives bright lightnot full sun.
The stem will begin to root in about six weeks.
Types of Verbena
Many common verbenas are hybrids of different species.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
It has a trailing growth habit and spills over the sides of a container.
Babylon White Verbena
VerbenaBabylon White bears purewhite flowerson a trailing plant.
Its more disease-resistant than many other verbenas.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
This early bloomer resists mildew and is drought-tolerant.
This lovely plant grows to 2 feet tall and blooms repeatedly throughout the season.
Fuego Pink Verbena
VerbenaFuego Pink offers richpink flowerson a vigorous spreading plant.
Credit: Justin Hancock
It blooms from late spring to midfall.
It is also attractive as a flowering groundcover on a slope.
Lanai Lavender Star Verbena
VerbenaLanai Lavender Star bears clusters of lavender-purple flowers striped in white.
Credit: Justin Hancock
It grows 10 inches tall and 24 inches wide.
The flowers of this plant do not set seed; they are sterile.
Lascar Burgundy Verbena
VerbenaLascar Burgundy is a mounding plant with medium-sized burgundy-red flowers.
Credit: Justin Hancock
It flowers early and is excellent in combination with other verbenas.
Peaches and Cream Verbena
VerbenaxhybridaPeaches and Cream is a showstopper with peach and creamy-white blooms.
Plants are 810 inches tall and spread 12 inches.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
It is particularly attractive to butterflies.
It grows 8 inches tall and wide and is frost-tolerant and heat-tolerant.
It attracts bees and butterflies.
Credit: Andy Lyons
Temari Patio Red Verbena
VerbenaTemari Patio Red offers bright red flowers on mounding plants 14 inches tall.
It is perfect for hanging baskets and is winter-hardy in mild areas.
Superbena Pink Parfait Verbena
VerbenaSuperbena Pink Parfait shows off wonderful soft-pink flowers over fuzzy, disease-resistant foliage.
Credit: Jay Wilde
It grows 12 inches tall and spreads to 24 inches.
It is lovely in the garden or containers.
It grows 12 inches tall and can spread 4 feet across as a groundcover.
Credit: Matthew Benson
It will trail over the sides of a container or hanging basket.
Superbena Burgundy Verbena
VerbenaSuperbena Burgundy is a vigorous selection of rich burgundy flowers from spring to fall.
It grows 12 inches tall and can spread 4 feet across as a groundcover.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
It is lovely trailing over the sides of containers or hanging baskets.
It grows to 18 inches tall and spreads to 20 inches.
Tukana Scarlet Star Verbena
VerbenaTukana Scarlet Star features large bright red flowers with a sparkling white eye.
Credit: Lynn Karlin
Its heat tolerant and flowers all summer, growing 8 inches tall and 24 inches wide.
It trails to 1 foot.
It is upright and clump-forming.
Larkspur is basically an annual version of delphinium, an all-time favorite perennial.
Larkspur produces lovely spikes of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers in spring and summer.
They look best clustered in small patches.
Like many cool-season annuals, its a good winter-blooming plant for the Deep South.
Plant larkspur from seed directly in the garden in early spring.
Larkspur doesnt like to be transplanted.
It prefers rich, well-drained soil and ample water.
Petunia
Petunias arefailproof favorites for gardenerseverywhere.
They are vigorous growers and prolific bloomers from midspring through late fall.
Color choices are nearly limitless, with some sporting beautiful veining and intriguing colors.
Many varieties are sweetly fragrant.
Some also tout themselves as weatherproof, meaning the flowers dont close up when water splashes on them.
Wave petunias made this plant even more popular.
Snapdragon
Few gardens should be without theeasy charm of snapdragons.
The blooms come in gorgeous colors, including some with beautiful color variations on each flower.
Plus, snapdragons are anoutstanding cut flower.
Theyre also great for fall color.
Plant snapdragon in early spring, a few weeks before your regions last frost date.
Deadhead regularly for best bloom and fertilize regularly.
In temperate regions, the entire plant may overwinter if covered with mulch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Perennial verbenas are relatively short-lived plants.
They come back for two or three years.
Many verbenas are annuals.
Verbena plants attract several pollinators.
Repeat the process late in the summer.
Verbena has a fresh, slightly floral scent.
It is a clean fragrance that some compare to herbs mixed with lemons.
Although this plant prefers 8-10 hours of sun per day, too much sun could be harmful.
It could lead to leaf scorch and wilted leaves.
