Verbena Plant
Some Interesting Facts about the Verbena Plant
The Verbena plant is one of those plants that seem to grow and bloom from early spring into fall, with very little attention. In an area that doesn't have frost, it can be grown as a perennial, but in most areas, it is an annual plant. These plants grow in clumps that can reach six to ten inches high. The flower colors are red, apricot, pink, white, purple or mauve. The Verbena plant is very popular as a plant in a hanging basket. It also is an excellent addition to a rock garden, or in a window box. You can find the plants in your nearby garden center in smaller pots and in larger hanging baskets, but you can grow them from seed easily enough that you don't need to spend the money for a full-grown plant in a decorative pot.
The Verbena plant is a charming little plant and is almost carefree. The main problems that people do experience are when they overwater and overfeed them. Your Verbena will do best if you remember these three care tips:
Deadheading is picking the faded blooms off the plant. If you don't take the time to deadhead your Verbena plant, it will stop blooming. All you need to do is clip off the top ¼ of the stems that have faded flowers on them. Clipping the stems out will help your plant to rebloom within fifteen to twenty days.
Fertilizing your Verbena plant is very easy. It only needs to be fertilized once a year, in the spring, when the plants are close to four inches tall. Use a wide-ranging and complete fertilizer, but don't fertilize your plants when you initially introduce them to your garden. Wait until they have established themselves and are growing.
Watering is done more when the plants are becoming established in your garden or windowsill garden. Water them regularly until the plants appear to be established well. After that, only water them when they are dry.
The Verbena plant is easy to start from seed, but the seeds can take a month or so to germinate, so don't give up if you don't see sprouts before that time. It's best to start the seeds in indoor pots, at the end of winter or the beginning of spring. Put them in individual fiber or peat pots, with two seeds in each pot. Cover them only lightly with potting mix. Once they are growing, with a few leaves on each plant, remove the weakest plant of the two from each pot.
Move your plants outdoors for a few hours every sunny day before you plant them in your garden. Once your plants look hardy and ready to be put in your garden, place your Verbena plant in a sunny and well-drained part of your garden, about a foot apart. Then enjoy this lovely addition to your garden.