Verbena: How to Grow & Care for Verbena Plants

Superbena Violet Ice, Purple Verbena
Proven Winners
Sycamore, IL

Superbena® Violet Ice. Photo by: Proven Winners.

Vibrant, vigorous, and versatile, annual verbenas are some of my favorite flowers for adding va-va-voom to the summer garden. It blooms all season long, with miniature nosegays brimming with brightly colored flowers.

Verbena looks just as good weaving through garden beds as it does spilling from pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Verbena plants also tolerate midsummer drought and baking heat with little complaint, making it the ultimate easy-care flower.

On this page: Basics | Types | Planting | Care | Pictures | Troubleshooting | FAQ’s

On this page:

  • BASICS
  • TYPES OF VERBENA
  • PLANTING VERBENA
  • VERBENA CARE
  • VERBENA PICTURES
  • TROUBLESHOOTING
  • FAQ’s

Zones:

Winter hardy in zones 8-11. Garden verbenas (Verbena ×hybrida) are grown as annuals in most climates.

Bloom season:

May through October.

Sun and soil requirements:

Full sun (at least 8 hours a day) and average well-drained soil.

Height/spread:

Varieties range in height from low-growing and trailing to somewhat upright.

Colors and characteristics:

Common garden varieties have tiny, fragrant flowers in saucer-shaped clusters up to 3 inches across. The most common flower colors include shades of pink, red, purple, coral, and blue-violet, as well as bicolored varieties.

Attracts:

Colorful and scented verbena flowers provide a rich source of nectar for pollinators, attracting hummingbirds, bees, and many types of butterflies.

Superbena® series:

Verbena hybrids developed by Proven Winners® to be more robust, more mildew resistant, and more resilient than older varieties. They also produce larger flowers in many colors, including bicolored striped patterns.

Tapien® series:

A trailing verbena characterized by a multi-branching growth habit, spreading up to 3 feet to create a dense low-growing carpet of blooms. Also mildew resistant and grow well under a wide range of weather conditions.

Lanai® series:

A semi-trailing verbena characterized by bold patterns, bright colors, and contrasting eyes. It spreads up to 2 feet and has one of the longest bloom seasons. Compact versions with mounded habits are also available.

Photo by: Stephanie Frey / Shutterstock.

When to plant:

Midspring or early summer, after the threat of frost has passed.

Growing from seed:

You can grow some types from seed, with the exception of non-seeding hybrids. Sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost date in your area, and transplant the seedlings into outdoor beds once the soil warms up.

Where to plant:

  • Hanging baskets
  • Containers
  • Landscape borders
  • Groundcover

Water requirements:

Although established plants are drought tolerant, they will do better with regular watering, especially container-grown plants. Also, make sure they have good drainage, whether in containers or garden beds, so the roots don’t sit in soggy soil. For the best results, pair with other plants that have similar water requirements.

Fertilizing:

In garden beds, adding a continuous-release fertilizer and enriching the soil with organic matter at the time of planting will usually be sufficient. Otherwise, fertilize container-grown plants regularly with a water-soluble fertilizer.

Pruning and deadheading:

Although most do not require deadheading to keep them blooming, you may want to trim back trailing varieties if they begin to overtake containers or crowd out other plants in the garden. Give them a light trim every now and then for fuller plants and more prolific flowering.

Get more verbena growing tips:

Succeeding with Superbena (from Proven Winners).

Swipe to view slides

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena® Whiteout™ — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 30 inches

An extremely vigorous white flowered variety. Makes the perfect accent in containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes when paired with other brightly colored flowering plants.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena Sparkling® Amethyst — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

12 to 18 inches

This is the va-va-voom I’m talking about! This tricolored selection features purple centers fringed in lavender and white. No deadheading is needed to keep the colorful display going all summer long. Also try Sparkling® Rose with multi-colored white and pink flowers.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena® Pink Cashmere™ — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 30 inches

This vigorous growing verbena blooms in soft shades of pink. The clustered umbels bloom all summer long and nearly cover the deep green foliage completely. It pairs well with Supertunia® petunias, is easy to care for, and is resistant to powdery mildew.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena Royale® Peachy Keen — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches tall

Spread:

18 to 24 inches wide

Peachy Keen has coral-peach tones, from deep apricot to creamy peach.

Plants in the Superbena Royale collection from Proven Winners bloom earlier and are more compact than original Superbenas, making them perfect for smaller containers and at the front of borders. Also try Superbena Royale top sellers Chambray and Plum Wine.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena® Red — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 36 inches

This red-flowered, award-winning selection is a great choice for summer containers. Pair with white and blue flowering plants for the perfect patriotic combination.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena® Cobalt™ — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 36 inches

The clusters of purple-blue flowers bloom over the deep green foliage from planting until frost. Use alone in a container or as a spiller with other heat-tolerant summer bloomers.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena® Stormburst — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 30 inches

Pair the fun striped pattern of Stormburst with Sweet Romance® lavender for a combination that will flower from spring until fall, as shown in this ‘Lavender Storm’ container recipe.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena® Violet Ice — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 30 inches

Violet Ice blooms feature a striking white eye surrounded by bright violet petals. Pair this award-winning variety with pink and purple Superbells for a bright and cheery hanging basket as seen here.

Photo: Proven Winners

Superbena Sparkling® Rosé — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

6 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 30 inches

The bicolor pink and white flowers on this award-winning variety blend well with darker shades of pink for a beautiful monochromatic container planting, as seen in this container recipe..

Photo: Proven Winners

Meteor Shower® (Verbena bonariensis) — Buy now from Proven Winners

Height:

20 to 30 inches

Spread:

8 to 12 inches

This compact tall verbena is denser, more vigorous, and sets far fewer seeds than most verbenas of this type. It’s also a bit shorter, so it works just as well as a thriller in containers as it does massed in garden beds.

Photo by: All American Selections

EnduraScape™ Pink Bicolor

Height:

8 to 12 inches

Spread:

18 to 24 inches

This tough-as-nails verbena tolerates drought, heat, and also survives temperatures down in the teens; winter hardy to Zone 7. Outstanding in a container or basket, as well as along a walk or border.

Photo by: All American Selections

‘Imagination’

Height:

8 to 12 inches

Spread:

12 to 24 inches

Violet-blue to magenta-colored flowers bloom on lacy foliage. This rugged plant spreads rapidly as a ground cover or trails from hanging baskets. It is also drought and heat tolerant. Winter hardy in Zones 9 and 10.

One of the most fuss-free flowering plants you can grow, verbena suffers from few pest or disease problems. When issues do arise, they are usually due to not enough sunlight or poorly drained soil. Here are some stress signals to look for and potential solutions.

  • Leggy plants and sparse flowering are often a result of too much shade. Move them to a spot in the garden where they get 6 or more hours of sun. Verbenas recover well after transplanting, so don’t hesitate to relocate your plants to a better location.
  • Powdery mildew is the most common problem. Give your plants adequate spacing for good air circulation and avoid watering from overhead. Avoid watering in the evening, so the foliage doesn’t remain damp overnight. See: How to Get Rid of Powdery Mildew.
  • Yellowing leaves, poor flowering, and root rot are all signs of poor drainage. You can often save your plants by transplanting into an area with better drainage or into elevated beds. If occurring in container-grown plants, add more drainage holes.
  • Spider mites are one of the few pests that pose a problem. If you notice spider-web-like netting on your plants and the leaves look discolored, try spraying the foliage with a strong stream of water or use an insecticidal soap. Avoid chemical insecticides that can harm pollinators. See: How to Control Spider Mites.

What about lemon verbena?

A popular member of the verbena family, lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) actually belongs to another genus. Its leaves give off a lemony scent when rubbed and are widely used in aromatherapy products, perfume, medicine, and as a culinary herb.

What about blue vervain?

Mainly known for its use as a medicinal herb, blue vervain (Verbena hastata) grows 2 to 6 feet tall and blooms July to September. In the wild, it forms colonies with slow-spreading rhizomes and self-seeds.

What about purpletop vervain?

There are also tall verbena varieties (Verbena bonariensis), also called Brazilian vervain or purpletop vervain. Plants are 4- to 5-feet-tall, usually grown as an annual, and have 2-inch clusters of flowers on slender but sturdy stems. Tall verbena can be vigorous self-sowers, but newer cultivars, such as Meteor Shower®, are bred to be less assertive.

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