Verbena Plant: Small, stunning and attractive flowers
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Verbena plant have cluster of flowers add beauty to the garden. They can be grown almost in any climatic conditions and can bloom for a longer period of time. These small plants can be grown as an ornamental plant and also as a ground cover. They also have medicinal and commercial value. They require very little care and maintenance.
Quick Details of Verbena Plant
| Other Common Names | Verbena |
| Type | Outdoor flowering shrub |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Flowering | Spring-winter |
| Light | Bright direct sunlight for 8-10 hours/ day |
| Water | Deep water when the soil is dry |
| Temperature | Any normal weather conditions |
| Soil | Well draining , slightly acidic soil |
| Fertilizer | Any balanced fertilizer, compost, manure |
| Habitat | Europe |
| Toxicity | No, Overuse can cause irritation |
| Common Diseases | leaf spots, blight, powdery mildew, verbena latent virus, whiteflies |
| Scientific name | Verbena officinalis |
Verbena Plant Buying Instructions
- Buy a bushy plant.
- Buy a healthy plant.
Overview of Verbena Plant
Verbena Plant are flowering annual shrubs belonging to the family Verbenaceae. There are almost 150-200 species in this genera. They are native to Europe. The plants grow up to a height of 12 inches tall and can spread up to 8-10 inches wide. The leaves are dark green in color, hairy in most of the species and oppositely arranged. The flowers are small, in clusters of dense spikes and bloom from spring to winter. The flowers bloom in colors of blue, white, pink, or purple. Most of the verbena found are hybrids of the native form. Some of the commonly grown varieties are:
Blue princess: The flowers are deep blue in color.
Lanai Royal Purple with Eye: Plants with purple flowers and white eye in the center.
Texas Rose: Reddish pink flowers.
Usage and Advantage of Verbena Plant
- Grown as an ornamental plant.
- They are used in traditional medicine.
- The essential oil is used in making perfumes.
General Care for Verbena
Soil
Verbena Plant prefer a slightly acidic well draining soil. A normal potting mix can also be used to plant verbena.
Water
Water the plants regularly while they are young. Mature plants do not require much water. Deep water the plants ones a week or when the soil starts to become dry.
Sunlight
They love to bath in sun. Provide them with at least 8-10 hours of sunlight per day to bloom. The rate of flowering decreases when placed in shade.
Temperature
Verbena plants can grow in almost all the weather conditions and humidity. However, they cannot tolerate harsh summers and can wilt and die when the temperature raises.
Special Care
Trim the Verbena Plants on regular basis to have healthy plant. Prune the tips to enhance flowering. Fertilize the plants during the growing and blooming period to extend the flowering period. Deadhead the flowers to help new blooms to grow.
Fertilization
They do not require much feeding. However, add a balanced fertilizer, compost or manure during the blooming season to receive bright, continuous flowering .
Pests and other problems for Verbena
These plants can be prone to pathogens causing leaf spots, blight, powdery mildew . These mostly infect the plants when there is excess moisture on the plants or when the plant is under stress. These can be avoided by providing the plant with proper growing conditions and making sure that there is no excess moisture on the plant surface and the soil.
Botrytis
It is a fungal disease which can lad to the formation of gray molds all over the plants. It mainly infects the leaves followed by flowers, stem and sometimes the buds. This leads to the wilting of the infected plants. The plants may have stunted growth and die immature. Mostly infects plants grown in cool, high humid conditions. Use a mild fungicide or spay neem oil. Remove the infected part of the plant or the whole plant, in case of severe infection, to avoid the spread.
Septoria leaf spot
Leaf spot is a fungal disease which develops mostly during rainy seasons. The older leaves close to the soil, at the lower part, develop circular spots with dark margins with gray centers. They can spread and cause the leaf to wilt and die.
Powdery mildew
It is a fungal disease mostly seen in plants which has high moisture content in their leaves or are placed in spots with high humidity or low light. The leaves develop a whitish powdery layer which further develops into grayish black. The infected leaves turn yellow, wilt and die.
Root rot
In case of plants grown in soil with excess moisture or when the soil is not well draining, the roots get infected with fungus and turns mushy and brown making the plants unhealthy. These plants wilt and die. Remove the infected plants to avoid the spread.
They are also infested with sweet potato white flies. Force spray water or spray a soap solution or diluted neem oil to keep the pests at bay.
Propagation of Verbena
Propagation of verbena takes place through seeds and cutting.
These plants self seed. Collect the seeds from the dried out flowers. The seeds should be soaked in Luke warm water for 24 hours. The seeds can be scattered on the surface of the soil and press them slightly. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost or peat moss. Water them and cover it with a poly bag and leave them in the dark to germinate. The cover can be removed ones the seeds germinate. Transplant the seedling outdoors.
A 4-6 inch long cuttings can be made from a healthy growing tip. The leaves were removed from the tip and the tip was dipped in a rooting hormone. The plants require a well draining potting mix. Water the cuttings regularly till the roots develop. This an take around 4-6 weeks.
