how to grow verbena

Plant in full sun in compost-amended beds after all danger of frost has passed. Space plants about 10 inches apart. Verbena needs little additional fertilizer other than spring compost. Grow verbena so plants are watered once the soil is dry to encourage flowering during hot periods.

Is Verbena easy to grow?

Drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, verbena is a real multi-tasker. Verbena is one of the easiest, low-maintenance plants that could be placed in the garden. Verbena is a drought-tolerant, heat loving and colorful plant that provides color from spring until frost.

Where does verbena grow best?

Hybrid annual verbenas are best grown in relatively dry soil in a sunny location. There is very little care necessary, other than regular watering. These plants are susceptible to powdery mildew, and they may be visited by common insect pests that can be treated with insecticidal soaps or chemical sprays.

Does verbena come back every year?

Several species of plants fall under the genus Verbena. Although a few of these are annuals and need to be replanted each year, many more are perennials and come back year after year. As a perennial, verbena grows well in zones 7-11, but as an annual in cooler climates and zones.

How do you care for a verbena plant?

VERBENA CARE

Although established verbenas are drought tolerant, water them regularly during extended periods of drought, especially container-grown plants. It is equally important to ensure that your verbenas are well-drained in both containers and garden beds so the roots don't sit in soggy soil.

Does verbena need a lot of water?

Verbena Plant Care

While the verbena flower is drought resistant, the blooms are improved with regular watering of an inch or so each week. Water verbena plants at the base to avoid wetting the foliage. However, verbena plant care may not include weekly water if rainfall in your area has reached an inch or more.

Does verbena need sun or shade?

All verbena needs to grow in full sun to light shade in well-draining soil. Perennial verbenas are heat tolerant and drought tolerant once established. They do well in xeriscape gardens. ... As, perennials, verbena can be a short lived plant, this is why many perennial verbena varieties are grown as annuals.

Does verbena reseed itself?

Verbenas produce copious seeds and will reseed themselves in ideal climates. However, for those that get a sustained freeze, it might be best to save seed and then sow in spring.

Can verbena be grown in pots?

They are perfect in a planter or a pot. Verbenas are relatively easy to grow. They thrive in sunny, ordinary, draining, and fresh soil. Bonariensis and hastata verbenas are best suited for outdoor planting, while garden verbenas and lemongrass verbenas are very suitable for pot cultivation.

Should you deadhead verbena?

Deadhead faded flowers or blooms to ensure that blooming continues all through the gardening season. ... But, deadheading is necessary if you plant verbena for summer blooms. If the blooms slow, trim the whole plant by a quarter for a new show of flowers in 2 to 3 weeks.

Is Verbena A perennial or annual?

Verbenas are long blooming annual or perennial flowers that possess the virtues of heat tolerance and an extremely long bloom season. Many perennial verbenas are relatively short lived, but their vigor and heavy flowering make up for this defect.

Why is verbena not blooming?

The native verbena mentioned above blooms from March to October. ... A plant that needs lots of sun to bloom is not going to do well in a more shaded location. If blooms seem to slow during the summer, you might trim the whole plant back by about 1/4, and hopefully it will recover its vigor and bloom again.

What does verbena smell like?

Verbena has the strong citrus smell of lemon but more grassy, like citronella, than fruity. The leaves that produce the compelling scent are pointed, shiny and grow to a length of 3 inches. With a bunched, shrub-like appearance, verbena produces light purple flowers in the summer.

Can I take cuttings from Verbena?

Verbena plants can also be propagated successfully from cuttings. The best time to take cuttings is in late spring, when they are most likely to root. Summer cuttings are tougher and more likely to survive, but they root much more slowly. Take a cutting that's 3 inches (7.5 cm.)

Why is my verbena dying?

If your purple verbena is stressed from lack of sunlight or water or is otherwise weakened, it is susceptible to a powdery mildew infection that leaves a white fungal powder on the leaves' surfaces, shoots and flowers, and which causes premature leaf death.

How often should you water verbena?

Growing Tips

Grow verbena so plants are watered once the soil is dry to encourage flowering during hot periods. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms. If the plants get leggy, consider cutting back verbena's trailing vines by one-third to stimulate more side branching and flowering.

Do you cut verbena back?

Verbena can grow very quickly, so you may need to trim it back to control growth throughout the season. To do this, cut about 2 inches (5.1 cm) off the ends of the plants where you want to control growth. You can do this about 2-3 times over the season or as needed. This is called tipping the plant.

Is Verbena invasive?

If you want pollinator activity in your garden, plant verbena in a sunny spot. There are some “considerations” with Verbena bonariensis. In some places it is very invasive. The state of Washington lists it as a noxious weed.

How do you revive verbena?

If there's life left in the verbena, it should perk up or send out new shoots within a few days. Assuming that happens, snip off any dead branches and keep watering. Once the plant is growing again, start to add a half- or quarter-strength balanced fertilizer every few days.

Is Verbena Hardy?

Many gardeners only used to associate verbenas with tender bedding plants, but the popularity of the willowy Verbena bonariensis proved that some make excellent, hardy plants. Verbenas tend to flower in the second half of summer, attracting butterflies and bees.

Does verbena like shade?

For best results grow Verbena bonariensis in full sun to partial shade, in moist but well-drained soil. Incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil before planting out and mulch plants annually with well-rotted compost or manure.

What can I plant with verbena?

Some good companion plants for verbena that repel spider mites are dill, cilantro, and garlic. If you want to stick to flowers in your flower bed, however, mums and shasta daisies are also good verbena companions because of their ability to drive spider mites away and draw in their predators.