Verbena

Verbena - Beautiful half-hardy trailing plants, which of late have not been popular in gardens, probably on account of the vermin that attacks them. Verbenas bloom profusely till late in the autumn, and if temporarily disfigured a burst of sunshine quickly restores their beauty. There are many fine varieties, English and foreign, and a pretty bed may be gained by mixing some of these together. Put out the plants about the end of May, and as they grow peg the shoots securely over the bed, keeping them well thinned. The best way of ensuring good cuttings for spring propagation is to put out a few reserve plants in spring, discourage flowering for a time, and root batches of cuttings in August and September. Give them a shift then into larger pots of rich soil. Soon afterwards set these store plants in a cool house or a pit from which frost is excluded.

Of late years Verbenas have been most successfully raised from seed sown about the middle of January in light soil in a warm frame or pit. Wintering the plants is a troublesome matter, but with seedlings it can be avoided, and they have vigour to resist the disease. Their wonderful diversity and brilliancy of color and their many flowers combine to make them most effective plants. Seed is sold in colors which come remarkably true—scarlet, blue, white, carnation, flaked, and other forms. The scarlet kind is from the old Defiance, and its growth and freedom are marvellous.

Verbena Pictures

Glandularia bipinnatifida (Nutt.) Nutt. var. bipinnatifida - Dakota mock vervain

Glandularia J.F. Gmel. - mock vervain

Glandularia canadensis (L.) Nutt. - rose mock vervain

Abronia latifolia Sand-verbena

Abronia turbinata; Trans-montane Sand Verbena

Abronia villosa; Desert Sand Verbena

Related Flowers

Verbena Venosa

Verbena Venosa - A perennial kind, 12 to 18 inches high, with purple-violet blossoms, is hardier than ordinary Verbenas, less apt to mildew, and cheerful even in drenching rains. It is easily wintered, its fleshy roots being stored thickly in boxes, and the young shoots rooted in spring. When the roots are lifted in autumn place them at once in boxes, which should be stored in a cool place until required for propagation. In borders they will remain for years if protected through the winter. Argentine.

• Jasmine
• Garden Snakes
• Gardenia Plant Care
• Honeysuckle
• How to Build an Outdoor Fireplace

• Sand Verbena
• Biennial Flowers
• Peruvian Lily
• Mullein
• Where Do Butterflies Live

• Boxwood Shrub Pictures
• Tree Identification
• Identifying Garden Pests