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Verbena

verbena in bloom
colorful verbena

More Information for Growing Verbena:
www.uky.edu
www.ncsu.edu
  written by joseph cash

Verbena is pretty little plant..  It comes in white, pink, purple, and red. In some varieties, the center of the bloom is a lighter color. The plant grows 10 inches tall or less and makes a good carpet or foliage and blooms. 

  The plant can flower all summer and prefers fertile well drained soil though it is not too particular.

  Verbena tolerates  sun, but in hot climates, shade for half the day is  fine

   The plant grows from seed but is a little slow to get started. It is usually better to start from six packs planted in the spring. Occasionally, the plant will reseed itself in the following season. Plant  groupings  all the same color to get a mass affect.   Space the plants eight to 10 inches apart at the front of  a bed.

   Verbena is sometimes grown in hanging baskets. The plants grow more horizontally than vertical.  

   Verbena can survive very light frosts and is a perennial in mild climates. "Perennial Verbena", a very similiar but less common plant, is more frost resistant but is not totally reliable as a perennial.


    Verbena plants can become infected with powdery mildew, a disease that can infect many types of flowering plants with a light gray discoloration of leaves. It is best to discard any plants showing the disease and grow verbena elsewhere next year. Do not splash soil onto the leaves when watering as this can spread powdery mildew.

   Small insects called thrips sometimes are a problem sucking the plant juices. Leaf miners, which are extremely tiny insects, eat their way through the center of the leaves causing light colored tracks to appear. If you have only a few such leaves you can remove them or trim the plant back. Leaf miners are usually not fatal to verbena.


    Removing old blooms helps the growth of more flowers. The small blooms grow in clusters several inches across making a colorful carpet.


 

Scientific Name: Verbena X hybrida

Cultivated varietes include: 'Obsession' series, 'Peaches and Cream', 'Quartz' series, 'Romance' series, 'Novalis' series, many others


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