Posted by
okus (Lincolnshire, UK) on Sep 23, 2011 4:09 PM concerning plant:
If you are a butterfly lover, this is a must-have plant. It is so light and airy that it doesn't block out anything else and grows readily from seed. Just scatter some seeds about and enjoy the "flying flowers" as they come and visit to enjoy your plants.
Posted by
jvdubb (48036 MI - Zone 6b) on Aug 27, 2014 7:06 PM concerning plant:
When I first saw this Verbena it was growing in a large clump in a nursery display garden. It was stunning! They did not have any to sell, but my mom bought seeds the following season and shared some plants she grew. I enjoyed the tall stems with blooms swaying above the plants below. It did not matter that it is not hardy in zone 5. There were plenty of seedlings coming up the following spring, and I have had reseeded plants year after year since....through two moves. In fact, I often have seedlings pop up in pots of other plants that my mom shares with me. One might say it is insidious.
I only let two seedling grow to maturity and bloom last year. Still, I was pulling out hundreds of seedlings this spring. Even in the last few days, I still have been finding about one a day. They are easy enough to pluck.
I have found that some years they were prone to mildew.
Posted by
Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Feb 28, 2015 12:06 AM concerning plant:
This is one of the best butterfly plants! I've seen bees and hummingbirds drinking the nectar from the flowers also. The years I've had it growing in all my flowerbeds, it has been a big "hit" with them. I let it reseed, grow, and bloom for years and I always had bees, butterflies, and/or hummingbirds on the flowers. Any unwanted seedlings are easy to pull up, and you can also deadhead the flower stems to keep it from reseeding. The plants can be cut back during the growing season for shorter height if desired. I noticed that it survives the summer drought very well. Even though it is hardy to zone 7, the seedlings that came up the following years in zone 6 were pretty hardy plants. A nice purple-colored flower.
Posted by
lovesblooms (Maryland - Zone 7a) on Feb 3, 2015 8:31 AM concerning plant:
The see-through nature of these plants makes it a little more of a challenge for me to find a place to get them to show up to best effect. The butterflies adored these, and I don't foresee ever having to sow them again, since they're heavy reseeders in my area according to neighboring gardeners. I tried pinching some, but the new side stems just waited until they reached around 4 feet high to bloom again, anyway. But at least there were a few more of the blooms.
Posted by
plantladylin (Sebastian, Florida - Zone 10a) on Sep 23, 2011 5:26 PM concerning plant:
Purple Verbena is an erect, clump-forming perennial that has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in areas of California, the Southeastern part of the United States, and all of Florida. You can pinch the tips in early spring to promote branching and the more pruning you do, the more shrub-like this plant becomes. In mild climates it self sows freely. Purple Verbena can be propagated by seed, tip cuttings, or root division.
Posted by
imapigeon (Gilroy, CA) on Sep 17, 2011 3:31 PM concerning plant:
Although I know people who dislike this plant, it's one of the favorites in my "cottagey" garden. I love the open structure that leaves room for other plants behind it to show through. I now periodically cut my plant back so it blooms a bit lower than its normal height, making the stems less likely to fall over. It has a tendency to reseed, but the seedlings are easy to pull if they turn up somewhere I don't want them. Butterflies and hummingbirds like the blooms, and I've seen both sample nectar from each tiny little flower in a cluster.
Posted by
scvirginia on May 18, 2018 2:04 PM concerning plant:
I think the common name Brazilian Verbena would be better suited to Verbena brasiliensis, which is not the same species as V. bonariensis. I'm not a botanist, but I think I see photos of both species at this page, and I suggest that a different common name be used (I've seen Tall Verbena used, and the USDA PLANTS site uses the common name Purpletop Vervain). It might also be helpful to add a "not to be confused with V. brasiliensis" note somewhere? FWIW, USDA uses Brazilian Vervain as the common name for V. brasilensis.
I came here because I was looking for photos of V. bonariensis, so that I can try to ID some seedlings I have. They could be either, but I think some of the photos here are V. brasiliensis while others are V. bonariensis, and so I still don't know what I have.
Thanks,
Virginia
