Verbena flowers planting and care in the open field

A magnificent plant that has given us its beauty since ancient times is the beauty of verbena. She came to the European continent from America around the turn of the 17-18 centuries. Among the Gauls and Persians, vervain was considered a sacred herb, it was called the "Devil's Poison", it was kept in their dwellings to drive out the dark forces, the clergymen cleaned the altar with verbena sprigs.

Used verbena as a home talisman. Legendary aroma - tart, sweetish, fresh, associated with calmness and confidence. Gardeners turned their attention to her because of the flowers fragrant with a delicate aroma. Most likely, then their cross-pollination occurred, so a new species appeared - hybrid verbena. Breeders have bred a great variety of varieties of all kinds of shades that meet the most diverse needs of amateur flower growers.

Growing verbena is not difficult!

Verbena planting in the ground and care photo

Planting and caring for vervain is not a big deal. The flower requires moderate watering. With irregular watering, it blooms too quickly. Prefers non-acidic, sufficiently fertilized soil.

They like light areas, relatively tolerant of partial shade. For planting, grooves or holes are prepared, laying drainage on the bottom. Fertilize them with compost or leaf humus. Seedlings are planted at a distance of at least 20-25 cm from each other.

As they grow, they are moderately watered, fed with inorganic fertilizers, and the faded shoots are cut off in time. If you wish, you can leave a branch with ripening seeds and collect them to plant next spring. In this case, it should be borne in mind that hybrids do not retain parental characteristics, and from one specimen you can get plants that are completely different in color and shape.

Growing verbena seedlings from seeds at home

Verbena seeds for seedlings photo

• In February-March placing the seeds on the surface of the moistened flower substrate in a container with drainage holes. We strive to maintain a distance of 3-4 cm between seeds.
• Sprinkle with a thin layer of humus.
• Cover with a film or glass, so less moisture evaporates, and the seeds will germinate faster.
• Place the seedlings in a semi-shaded place. When the seeds begin to hatch (after about a week or two), you need to add light and carry out daily airing for 10-15 minutes.
• It is important not to overdo it with watering, otherwise the plant may get sick with a "black leg", water should not fall on delicate sprouts. Water around the edge of the pot so that the water runs down the side to the bottom right away.
• When all the seeds have sprouted, the shelter is removed.

Verbena seeds photo

• Further care consists only in maintaining the soil mixture in a moist state.
• When the first three true leaves appear, the densely sown verbena can be cut into separate cups. Do this carefully so as not to damage the roots. It is better to help yourself with a toothpick or fork to make it easier to "dig up" plants with a clod of earth.
• Young plants are fed with liquid complex fertilizer once a week. For branching and more abundant flowering, pinching of the growth point is carried out over the fourth or fifth leaf.
• When growing undersized hybrids, the formation of a bush is not carried out, they branch perfectly on their own.
• Before planting in the ground, in 10-12 days, it is imperative to start hardening the seedlings, gradually accustoming them to the sun and air outside. Starting from an hour or two, increase the hardening time and on the last day, leave the seedlings overnight.

Verbena growing from seeds when to plant In the photo, seedlings ready for planting

These are such gorgeous bushes as a result. They must be carefully released from the container so as not to destroy the clod of earth and damage the roots. They are transplanted into a flower bed, having prepared shallow holes, with a depth margin of 2-3 cm in relation to the height of our container. We take the distance between the holes 25-30 cm so that the plants have enough space for active growth and development. We set the seedlings vertically, sprinkle with soil, lightly compact with our palms. After that, we water it abundantly to moisten the ground well. But do not fill it, verbena does not tolerate excess moisture. Ideally, a film should not form on the surface, the earth should retain its loose structure.

How to grow verbena from seeds, the video will tell:

Beautiful seedlings are obtained without much hassle, it is enough just to carry out simple agricultural techniques in a timely manner.

Reproduction of verbena by cuttings

Reproduction of verbena by cuttings photo

Usually this method is used when you need to save a plant you like.

• Reproduction by 5-8 centimeter cuttings taken from the tops of the branches is carried out in August-September.
• They are planted in a soil consisting of sand and peat, taken equally or simply placed in water with a root solution.
• Cover the cuttings with glass until rooting. As soon as new shoots appear, the glass or film is removed, and the top is pinched.
• They can be transplanted into open ground next spring.
• When transferring rooted cuttings to a permanent place, they are pre-hardened, gradually accustoming them to open air.

How to get a verbena bush from a cutting, look at the video:

The verbena bush you like can be carefully transplanted into a pots, transferred for wintering to a room with a low temperature, and cuttings cut from it at the end of winter, using as a mother plant.

How verbena winters

In a cold climate with winter frosts, verbena cannot survive. To preserve the plant, it is dug up and placed in a container, which is installed in a cool room, where the temperature does not rise above 15 ° C. Blooming is stopped by cutting off the buds before blooming, and long shoots are pruned and, if necessary, rooted to obtain new bushes.

Diseases and pests of verbena

Verbena flower photo seedlings when to plant seeds

• Root decay from over-watering can be prevented by good drainage.
• From ticks, aphids that attack young plants, you can get rid of with an insecticide. A good result is given by irrigation with tar water (5 drops of birch tar per bucket of water).
• Suffering from miner flies.Noticing bite marks on the leaves, the plants should be treated with appropriate insecticides.
• Verbena is very rarely sick. Just avoid over-watering, which can lead to black leg disease and various viral diseases.

Types and varieties of verbena with photos and descriptions

Verbena straight Verbena stricta

Verbena direct Verbena stricta planting on seedlings and in open ground

The only one that grows independently in the middle lane up to one and a half meters high. Serrated leaves sit on an erect stem. Dark hay-purple flowers are collected in an inflorescence up to 40 cm long.

Verbena of Buenos Aires Verbena bonariensis

Verbena Buenos Aires Verbena bonariensis planting seedlings and in open ground photo

Originally from South America, with climbing stems 90-120 cm high. In its natural form, it grows as a perennial. Unpretentious with a pronounced main stem and dark green opposite leaves. Small lilac-blue flowers are collected in spikelets, forming umbrella-shaped inflorescences. It blooms profusely and for a long time. Unusual in single landings.

Verbena Canadian Verbena Canadensis

Verbena Canadian variety Verbena canadensis ‘Perfecta’ planting and care in the open field photo

The same thermophilic perennial with thin stems 15-19 cm long, sharp-pointed deeply divided leaves. Lilac-lilac-white flowers make up an umbrella-shaped inflorescence. Abundant flowering is accompanied by self-seeding.

Verbena rigida Verbena rigida

Verbena hard variety Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’ planting and care in the open field photo

A perennial species of South American origin, usually cultivated as an annual, forms lustrous purple or lilac-red flowers in summer. It is characterized by branched, sometimes creeping shoots and wedge-shaped rigid leaves with pubescence.

Verbena hybrid Verbena hybrid

Verbena hybrid verbena x hybrida lanai twister red growing from seeds planting and care photo

Quite common and much smaller than the previous one, it includes a group of hybrids with fragrant, variably colored flowers. Among the many varieties: ‘Flame’ with bright colors, ‘Sissingerst’ with pale pink, ‘Amethyst’ with brilliant blue. Sparkle Mix hybrids are distinguished by creeping stems and flowers, painted in white colors. Used in mixborders, group plantings.

Verbena officinalis Verbena officinalis

Verbena officinalis Verbena officinalis cultivation and care of the photo

Herbaceous perennial 25-100 cm high. Erect stem with opposite leaves without stipules and small flowers on spicate inflorescences of lavender color. Blossoms in June-July; bears fruit in August-September. It grows everywhere in meadows, on old ruins, wastelands, along the banks of rivers and streams. It is used for the preparation of medicinal raw materials.

Verbena flower description

Verbena flowers planting and care photos when to sow seedlings

This genus includes about 250 species, distributed mainly in zones with temperate and tropical climates. A perennial plant is grown by flower growers in their garden plots as an annual. Plants are highly branched, spreading with serrated, lanceolate leaves. The roots are fibrous. At the beginning of summer, fragrant and very bright carnation-shaped flowers are formed, collected by apical plates of 25-40 pieces with a multicolored color, monochromatic and with an eye in the center.

Flowering begins in June and is accompanied by an abundance of fragrant buds until late autumn. Tolerates light frost. The size and shape of the different species differs significantly. Depending on the varieties, verbena is recommended to be grown in a flower bed, in a flower bed or in pots. Arrangers use it with pleasure to decorate bouquets because of the brightness of the inflorescences, as well as long-term storage in water after cutting.

Application of verbena

Verbena flowers planting and care photo variety Verbena Lanai Upright Rose with Eye

The healing properties of verbena have been known for a long time, even our ancestors treated various ailments with it. And in the Middle Ages, she was a real panacea for many ailments. During epidemics, it was used as a disinfectant, wound healing agent. It is used by traditional medicine in different countries. Recognized by official medicine. Helps with colds, cholecystitis, rheumatism, sclerosis, as an antipyretic, to normalize metabolism, etc. Decoctions are used by cosmetologists to stimulate hair growth.

Verbena is considered a herb, astrologically subordinate to Venus - it is able to fulfill any desire, it was used from witchcraft, it was cleaned at home, and a drink of love was prepared from twigs. In Russia, dried verbena twigs were sewn into clothes, used as a talisman. Planted at home, it attracts friends and fends off enemies. Verbena is still revered for these magical properties.

Now it is one of the most popular plants; it is used to decorate personal plots, balconies, and window sills. She looks great on flower beds and borders. And hanging pots with ampelous verbena are not inferior in beauty and a scattering of multi-colored umbrellas to other inhabitants of the garden or balcony.

Verbena bicolor bicolor verbena called ‘Wicked Mad Magenta’ photo

This garden dweller has over 200 species. Below we will consider what kind of verbena plant, planting and care necessary for lush flowering, photos of various types. For a long time, the plant carries some kind of mysticism. She guarded the hearth of the Celts and was part of the love drinks of the Druids.

People simply believed in this, but there is also factual evidence of its benefits. The plant is actively used by herbalists and helps to cope with many ailments.

Such a different verbena

Conventionally, the Verbenovs' representatives can be divided according to several criteria:

1. There are annual, perennial and semi-shrub species.
2. The stems are creeping, erect, or outstretched. The leaves are also different.
3. You can choose any color of the inflorescences - there are about 10. There are monophonic and flowers with an eye.

But all species have common features. Verbena is a rhizome plant. The inflorescence contains about 50 small flowers. Flowering can be observed from early summer to November. In our climate, unfortunately, verbena can only be grown as an annual - most species cannot stand frosty winters.

Now let's take a closer look at the popular types of verbena and consider a photo of flowers.

Verbena long-term straight

This is the only plant species that tolerates frost. Leaves are oval in shape with denticles at the edges, 9 by 5 cm. The flowers are lilac, the inflorescence is 40 cm in length. Flowering is short.

Verbena of Buenos Aires

From the name it is clear that the homeland of the plant is in warm countries. There, Buenos Aires verbena reaches 120 cm, grows like a perennial. It has a main stem and side shoots at the base of the bush. The leaves are long, with denticles at the edges. The flowers are light lilac. The inflorescences are in the form of spikelets, which in turn form umbrella-shaped caps. Long and abundant flowering. The second name is Bonar verbena.

Verbena hybrid

A popular species among flower growers in our region. Has creeping, branched or erect stems from 20 cm to half a meter long. Leaves are triangular in shape, with colorless bristles. Umbrella-shaped inflorescences, fragrant. Verbena hybrid can be of two subspecies:

• large-flowered (up to half a meter high);
• compact (up to 30 cm in height).

Verbena ampelous

There are two main varieties of ampel verbena:

• Imaging;
• Moon River.

Most often, ampelous verbena is grown in hanging pots.

Verbena officinalis

Perennial medicinal verbena grows up to 80 cm. The leaves are oblong, the flowers are lilac, the inflorescence is in the form of a panicle.

Lemon verbena

It grows in height up to 2 meters, the inflorescence is spicate.This species pleases with flowers from July to September. Most often, the variety is used for making oil, added to tea.

The healing properties of the plant

Verbena has medicinal properties and contraindications. The latter includes individual intolerance. There are many medicinal properties, they differ in different species. Let's talk about two of the most popular.

So verbena officinalis has an excellent antispasmodic effect. Besides:

• relieves headache;
• helps with vegetative dystonia;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• diuretic;
• removes cholesterol from blood vessels.

Lemon verbena has an antiseptic effect, is used in the treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia, as well as:

• sedative;
• antipyretic;
• used for violations of the liver;
• helps with problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
• anti-inflammatory.

Planting verbena

Since we grow verbena as an annual plant, let's figure out how to grow it from seeds. In some cases, seed stratification is required for germination. This will require a damp cloth, a dark bag, and a refrigerator. We put the seeds in a dampened cloth, place them in a bag and leave them in the refrigerator for 5 days.

The stratification procedure is needed for those verbena species that have a very dense seed capsule.

After stratification, you can start sowing. Verbena seeds can be germinated both as a seedling method and in the open field. By the way, the first method showed great germination.

Verbena seeds retain their germination capacity for 3-5 years.

In many species of verbena, the percentage of seed germination is up to 30%. It is worth considering this and not expecting a miracle. For seedlings, seeds are sown in March. It is necessary to prepare pots with humus, sand or perlite mixed with earth. Then the seeds are poured and covered with a thin layer of humus. The containers must be covered with glass and germinated at a temperature of 20 degrees.

Do not forget to sometimes ventilate the seedlings, and remove condensation from the glass.

The first shoots will appear in 3 weeks. As soon as they appear, the container should be moved to a cooler place. Caring for seedlings is simple - you need to maintain a water balance. Plants are sprayed when the soil is completely dry.

When the seedlings have two pairs of leaves (around May), you need to pick into separate pots. When the plants have already become accustomed to the new place, fertilizing can be done with mineral fertilizers.

In ampel varieties, the top above 5-6 leaves must be pinched. This promotes better branching of the plant.

When the seedlings have already grown, they can be placed in open ground. A sunny location with fertile loam is best. But verbena can grow in partial shade on poor soils dug up with sand.

It is important to keep the distance between the flowers so that they do not interfere with the normal development of each other. So, undersized vervains are planted at a distance of 20 cm, and creeping ones - 25-30 cm.

So that there is no destructive stagnation of water, drainage material must be added to each hole before planting.

Planting verbena and care in the open field is as follows. On the street, the temperature should already be above 0 during the day, and at night not below -3. Otherwise, the plant will die. Make sure that the soil with the seeds is loose - this is the only way the sprouts can break through.

Sow on damp soil, do not sprinkle on top. Also, do not forget about timely watering, but do not overmoisten the soil.

How to care for vervain

The rules for caring for the plant are quite simple:

1. During the period of active growth and flowering, regular watering is needed. Since the end of summer, it has been stopped altogether.
2. Loosening is necessary in extreme heat. It is done only after watering to aerate the roots.
3. When planting verbena in a group, weeding is needed at the first time of growth.
4. In order not to fight weeds and not to loosen the soil, mulch the soil. Mulch will replace your labor.

As for fertilization, organics and minerals are introduced. The first is added only once per season.If you fertilize more with organic matter, the verbena will only grow the green part, but you will not wait for flowering. Mineral fertilizer is applied 4 times.

When removing withered flowers, verbena will delight you with beauty and aroma until the first frost.

Dangers to the plant

Verbena is quite persistent and, subject to the rules of planting and care, looks like in the photo and practically does not get sick. The danger arises when grown outdoors in a flower bed in a rainy summer or when overflowing. So powdery mildew, black leg, rot and other similar diseases can appear. That is, the plant will simply start to rot. Such diseases are quite difficult to cure, so try to prevent waterlogging of the soil, organize good drainage.
Of the pests, ticks and aphids can attack verbena. Insecticides will save them from them.

Collecting verbena seeds

When most of the seed pods are brown, the seeds can be harvested. To do this, you need to cut off the inflorescence and put it to dry on a sheet of paper. To prevent mold from appearing during drying, the inflorescence must be periodically turned over. When the inflorescence dries up, all that remains is to open the boxes and pour the seeds into the bag.

There is no guarantee that the seeds will carry the appearance of the mother plant. It is impossible to guess what exactly from them will grow.

Wintering verbena

Most species in our climate grow as annuals, since at temperatures below -3 degrees, the plant dies. In this case, plant residues are removed in late autumn and the soil is dug up.

In some regions, you can try to make perennial verbena. To do this, you need to insulate the root system with sawdust in the fall.

There is only one species that withstands wintering - perennial straight verbena. This is a rather rare plant in culture that needs preparation for winter. To keep the roots healthy until spring, you need to cut the stems to ground level and close the base of the bush with spruce branches.

Decorating your garden with any kind of verbena, you will definitely not regret it. This beautiful and useful plant is not whimsical, beautiful and aromatic.

Verbena from sowing to the first buds - video

This flowering plant has many names for a long time: cast iron, iron or pigeon grass. According to popular belief, she grew up in those places where drops of blood of the crucified Christ fell. Depending on the climate, planting and care, verbena can grow as an annual or perennial plant that can beautify any home garden.

Botanical description

The plant belongs to the whole Verbenaceae family and includes about 250 different species that thrive in the tropical and subtropical climates of the Mediterranean and the American continent, from where it spread throughout the world.

In Russia, verbena, planting and caring for which is not difficult, grows as a herb or shrub, annual or perennial, which is associated with its low winter hardiness. Depending on the variety, it has different stems: erect, creeping or prostrate, which can be smooth or slightly rough.

Verbena leaves are dark green in color, slightly pubescent, the edges depend on the species: dentate, dissected or pinnately incised. They are located on the stem in turn or, conversely, in pairs. The inflorescence usually contains 30-50 small flowers 1.5-2.5 cm in size, collected in corollas with 5 petals.

Depending on the variety, correct planting and care, verbena flowers (photo below), painted in a wide variety of shades of white, blue, yellow, dark red and blue. They are able to bloom for a long time, from June to November. Pollination is usually carried out by moths, however, due to bisexuality, self-pollination is also possible.

In the open field, verbena can winter safely only in the southern regions, where it grows to a shrub 1 m high. In the conditions of central Russia, the plant took root exclusively as an annual.

The history of verbena and its medicinal properties

The origin of the name verbena takes its roots from Ancient Rome, in Latin "verbum" means "word", where the beauty of its flowers was personified with the goddess of love Venus. In Egypt, they were considered the tears of Isis, in other countries - drops of the blood of Mercury, the herb of mercy or holiness.

Ancient Christians consider vervain to be the baptized blood of Christ due to the fact that it was first discovered on Mount Calvary and used to stop bleeding from his wounds. Since then, she has been credited with the ability to avert evil and heal wounds.

The druids, who were in awe of this plant, endowing it with the qualities of healing diseases, reconciling sworn enemies and kindling the fire of love, did not ignore the vervain.

Verbena steamed tea, or medicinal (Verbena officinalis) refers to perennial plants up to 0.8 m high, has a long stem and oblong leaves with short petioles. The color of flowers with 5 petals, collected in panicles: light purple. For medicinal purposes, all aerial parts are used, the roots are not harvested.

The properties of verbena are used to treat vegetative-vascular dystonia. These are antispasmodic and blood circulation improving features. Thanks to this, they relieve headaches and dizziness, stabilize blood pressure. Also, the plant is used to treat stomach diseases and diarrhea, for diseases of the throat.

Sowing seeds and preparing seedlings

Verbena is planted and propagated in 3 ways: by seeds, cuttings and by dividing bushes. Important issues when growing verbena: planting and grooming, when to sow. The photo of the seeds clearly shows that they are very small and have an oblong shape.

To grow verbena for seedlings, sowing should be carried out no earlier than the end of March - early April. When buying seeds in a store, be sure to pay attention to the shelf life (3-5 years) and take into account that hybrid varieties have a lower germination rate than others. The verbena seed harvested from their garden does not always repeat the varietal qualities of the mother plants.

The soil is prepared light with an obligatory humus content. It is recommended to preliminarily stratify the seeds, i.e. keep in a damp cloth in the refrigerator for 3-4 days at a temperature of + 2 ° C - + 4 ° C. Then spread on the soil surface, lightly sprinkling with a layer of humus no more than 5 mm thick, friendly shoots appear after 20-30 days, at room temperature - after 2-3 weeks.

It must be borne in mind that young seedlings do not like waterlogging due to possible decay of the roots, therefore, the boxes covered with glass must be ventilated. In the 2-leaf stage, small vervains dive into separate pots. After 2 weeks, the first feeding is done with complex fertilizers, the finished seedlings can be transplanted into open ground in May.

Propagation by cuttings and dividing the bush

There are varieties of verbena that do not produce seeds. For their reproduction, cuttings are used. As a preparation, the desired plant is placed in advance for the winter in a cool room with a temperature of up to + 10 ° C.

The procedure is carried out in February or March, for which the upper part with 4-6 pairs of leaves is cut off from the top of the plant. At the bottom of the cutting, there should be a tip at a distance of about 1 cm from the leaf, the bottom cut is sprinkled with crushed coal. All leaves need to be removed, except for the topmost ones.

The soil for rooting is sandy-peat (in equal proportions), sand or perlite. A hole is made with a match, into which the stalk sits, the box is covered with glass or polyethylene on top. Root development usually lasts 2-4 weeks.

The breeding method by dividing the bush can only be used for medicinal verbena.

Verbena: planting and care in the open field

Such flowers are often planted to decorate personal plots, they take root in any soil and prefer areas with bright sunlight. Loam is ideal for planting, which allows moisture to pass through well after frequent loosening. When planting on heavier soils, sand is added to them. From below, it is better to make a simulator from expanded clay or brick fragments.

Prepared seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of spring with a distance of about 25 cm, preferably in rainy weather. With dry soil, 0.5 liters of water is added to each hole, then a young plant is planted, covering the roots and pressing a little.

For vervain, planting and care (photo below) are simple and include loosening, watering and feeding. It is imperative to avoid excess moisture and thickening of plants. Weeding should be done regularly. Later, when the bushes grow, this is no longer needed.

To avoid drying out the soil, it is better to cover it with a layer of rotted foliage. In the phase of active growth, watering is recommended often, and in the second half of summer - less often.

Top dressing must be carried out with complex fertilizers. It should be borne in mind that an excess of organic matter can reduce the number of buds and increase the growth of green parts due to the large amount of nitrogen, therefore, manure and compost can be applied only once per season. With proper planting and care, verbena flowers (photo below) will delight with their bright colors for several months.

Wintering verbena

In the conditions of central Russia, the plant can only be grown as an annual, because it does not tolerate frosts and cold snaps below -3 ° C. However, there is only one variety that can withstand these climatic conditions - the upright verbena.

In preparation for winter, the stems of verbena, planting and care in the open field, after which they allowed it to grow stronger and grow well, it is recommended to cut it to ground level, then cover it with spruce branches on top. In the spring, new shoots from the preserved root will grow.

Variety of species and varieties

Over the years, breeders have developed many varieties of verbena, planting and caring for which are not difficult. There are erect and creeping plants, ampelous and hybrid.

The most widespread are the following types and varieties of plants:

• Straight (Verbena stricta) - comes from the countries of North America, where it grows in the form of a perennial up to 1.5 m high, the foliage has a gray-green tint, the flowers are blue-violet, the inflorescences reach 40 cm in length;

• The Moon river is a creeping plant variety up to 30 cm high, flowers are collected in umbrella-shaped herringbone-shaped inflorescences, the shade is dark purple;
• Verbena of Buenos Aires (Verbena bonariensis) - comes from the countries of South and Central America, in our conditions it is planted as an annual; represents erect bushes up to 1.2 m high, has elongated leaves and small flowers of amethyst color, collected in large spikelets; flowering time: summer to the end of autumn, seeds in the form of nuts ripen by the end of September.

Ampel varieties of verbena

Covered with vibrant flowers hanging from planters or boxes on the balcony, verbena plants can be a great option for decorating your home or garden. Ampel varieties are distinguished by their hardiness, drought resistance and a variety of flower colors, which are slightly smaller in size compared to other species.

Popular varieties of ampelous verbena:

• The Snow Queen - has inflorescences of 5 different colors (purple, blue, pink, red, etc.), most often planted in balcony boxes or pots; the length of the hanging stem can be up to 0.6 m;
• Tapien - differs in openwork leaves and long shoots, abundant and colorful flowering;
• Quartz XP Silver - undersized plants (up to 25 cm) with large inflorescences of a light lilac color with silver;
• Empress Peach - shoots grow 25-50 cm in length, the color of the flowers is soft cream.

Growing ampel varieties from seeds has its own nuances: at the stage of 5-6 leaves, the plant must be pinched, which will stimulate its active branching. When planting seedlings on a balcony or in a flowerpot, an open and sunny place is selected, which is usually done in May-June. On average, 2-3 plants are planted in each pots with a capacity of up to 5 liters. In open ground, you can plant 40-50 plants per square meter. m.

When growing ampel verbena, planting and care consists in loosening the soil during the growth period, regular morning watering every 2 days, mulching with leaves, feeding with organic matter and mineral complex fertilizers. During the flowering period, it is necessary to remove wilted buds, which stimulates the laying of new ones.

Hybrid varieties

In ornamental gardening, hybrid varieties are very popular, which breeders have been breeding since 1830. Their main difference is the presence of an eye in the center of the flower, as well as its correct shape, as can be seen in the photo of verbena. Planting and caring for plants is completely uncomplicated. Numerous hybrid flowers are collected in large inflorescences up to 50 pieces, the colors are very diverse: from white to bright scarlet and purple.

The most popular hybrid varieties:

• Wrinkled - decorated with delicate lilac-lilac flowers;
• Canadian verbena has bright red hues;
• Defiance grows as a creeping shrub up to a height of 30 cm, has inflorescences of 4-5 cm with a bright red hue, in the center - a greenish-cream star-shaped eye;
• Etna (Etna) - a small bush up to 50 cm tall, inflorescences up to 6 cm, umbellate, 45-55 scarlet-red flowers with a cream eye up to 2.7 cm in diameter;
• Julia - decorated with dark purple flowers with a white center;
• Schneekenigin is a bush with pure white flowers with a light green eye up to 2 cm in diameter.

The use of verbena in landscape design

This plant is multifunctional and widespread in personal plots and dachas. The only drawback is the impossibility of planting it in an apartment, where even with proper planting and caring for verbena flowers it will be problematic to provide it with a lot of light, air and night coolness.

A variety of species allows you to use verbena in different situations to decorate and improve decorativeness not only on the site:

• the formation of bright borders along the paths in the garden from undersized varieties;
• use in flower beds and flower arrangements, for which it is recommended to select the color of flowers in one shade;
• mass planting of plants will create the maximum decorative effect, differing in color, it is possible to combine it with asters, cereals and marigolds;
• decoration of a front garden, gazebos or a balcony with the help of ampel types of verbena.

Bright colors and a variety of verbena varieties, planting and caring for which are available to both beginners and experienced gardeners, will allow this plant to become a decoration of any garden or country cottage, as well as a balcony in a multi-storey building.

Photos of the wonderful verbena fascinate and appeal to plant this flower in your area. With proper care, grown in the open field or in pots, vervains delight with flowering until frost.

Description of verbena

Verbena is a highly branching perennial plant belonging to the Verbenov family. A native flower from South America. It is more often grown outdoors as an annual plant. Verbena can survive in winter only in the southern regions due to the low threshold of resistance to prolonged frosts.

Verbena will bring bright colors to your garden

Depending on the species, the height of the verbena bush ranges from 20 cm to a meter or more. The stems are erect or creeping, and can also be leafless and with lowered edges. Verbena leaves are shaggy, oval or round in shape with notches, light green in color. The root system is compact. Small flowers are collected in complex inflorescence umbrellas.Verbena varieties have all kinds of colors: white, pink, lilac, purple, sometimes with a white eye.

Verbena blooms in June and pleases with flowering until late autumn. Up to 30 inflorescences can bloom on the bush at the same time. Transfers frosts down to -3 ° C.

Verbena varieties

Verbena breeding has about 250 species, each of which has its own characteristics.

Hybrid verbena - the most demanded variety among flower growers. The bush is compact, strongly branched with creeping stems, up to 50 cm high. Flowers are rich in various colors.

Hybrid verbena

According to varietal differences, hybrid verbena are conditionally divided into groups:

1. Large-flowered (Etna, Defias, Julia, Cardinal).
2. Compact ("Amethyst", "Crystal", "Dazler", "Pink Delight").

Canadian verbena - is grown as an annual. The stems are slender, reaching a maximum of 20 cm in height. The plant blooms profusely with white, pink or lilac flowers.

Canadian verbena

Hard verbena - characterized by small lilac flowers in inflorescences. The leaves are elongated, with villi below. Stems are tetrahedral, creeping. The germination of ripe seeds lasts up to 5 years.

Hard verbena

Buenos Aires verbena - a tall representative (up to 120 cm). Stems are strong, erect. Lateral shoots extend from the base of the bush. At the same time, many small amethyst flowers bloom on the bush, which are collected in the caps of the inflorescences.

Buenos Aires verbena

Ampel verbena Is a fast-growing annual species. Used for growing in hanging pots. Shoots grow up to 60 cm and hang down effectively. Inflorescences are compact with small flowers of various colors.
The presented photos demonstrate all the beauty and variety of verbena varieties.

Ampel verbena

Separately, we can highlight medicinal and lemon verbena... These are perennial bushes, the flowers of which have medicinal properties and are used to stabilize blood pressure, as antispasmodics, in case of intestinal disorders. Verbena oil serves as an antiseptic.

Medicinal verbena

Growing and planting verbena seedlings

In open ground, verbena is planted with seedlings. Its seeds are very small and are sown superficially in late February - early March. The seeds are evenly spread over the soil surface. The seeded seedling containers are covered with cans or foil, thereby creating a mini-greenhouse. Seedlings appear in two weeks, after which the shelter is removed, and the containers are placed on the lightest window sill.

Important! In order to avoid damage to seedlings with a black leg, young shoots are only sprayed from a spray bottle.

The first true leaves appear after about three weeks. During this period, the seedlings dive into boxes, at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Two weeks after picking, the seedlings are fed with complex mineral fertilizer.
When the seedlings reach 8-10 cm in height, they are transplanted into separate cups, and for greater branching, the tops are pinched.

The easiest way to grow verbena is the seedling method.

Advice. For sowing seeds, it is recommended to use a lean soil (a mixture of sand and peat). In richer soil, but not oversaturated, seedlings dive.

In open ground, grown seedlings are planted at the end of May. Landings are possible in June (by this time, the seedlings usually already have blossoming inflorescences). The site for planting verbena is sunny, moderately fertilized. The distance between plants must be at least 25 cm.

Reproduction of verbena by cuttings

Rare, seedless varieties of verbena can be propagated by cuttings. With this method of reproduction, all the qualities of the mother bush will be preserved. Harvesting of planting material begins in the fall. To do this, the mother bush is dug out with a large earthy clod and placed in a cool room (for example, in the basement) for the winter.

In early spring, for cuttings, the tops of the shoots with 4-6 pairs of leaves are cut off. The lower incision is made at a distance of 1 cm from the extreme kidney. All leaves except the top two are removed.

Germination of cuttings of medicinal verbena

Cuttings germinate in containers with sand or sand-peat mixture. The planting material is deepened to the first bud (i.e. by 1 cm). The substrate in the containers should always be kept moist. For this, containers with cuttings are covered.
After three weeks, the root system will begin to develop in the cuttings, after which new shoots will grow. It is necessary to plant rooted cuttings in open ground at the same time as seedlings.

Verbena care

Planting and caring for verbena is very simple and does not require any special skills. Verbena bushes are sensitive to intense light and tolerate direct sunlight well. Watering is required in moderation, but regular. In the spring, when the seedlings have not yet gained enough strength and have not grown stronger, watering is carried out more often and more abundantly. Gradually, watering is reduced, and by autumn it is completely stopped.

Several times a season, verbena is fed with mineral fertilizers. Manure as a fertilizer does not give the desired result, but only contributes to the abundant growth of green mass without flowers. An excess of fertilizer in the soil leads to poor flowering.

Caring for verbena is very simple: watering, loosening the soil

Loosening of the soil is required only at the initial stage of verbena growth. Later, when the culture grows, the need for weeding will disappear. Instead of weeding, mulching can be used to retain moisture in the areas. Rotted leaves are used as mulch.

Advice. For a spectacular look of a flower bed with verbena, you can use decorative mulching materials.

For abundant and long-lasting flowering throughout the summer, you need to cut off wilted buds.

Verbena is practically not affected by diseases and pests. Rare aphid infestations are suppressed with insecticides.

Use in landscape design

In landscape design, low-growing varieties of verbena are used as a green border. In combination with budleys or camellias, a decorative border will decorate the paths and become a catchy element when zoning the garden.

Verbena combined with roses

Long flowering and variety of colors of verbena will decorate works and flower beds. In flower beds, the greatest effect of the flowering of verbena is achieved with its mass plantings. You can dilute plantings with marigolds, echinocea, decorative cereals, asters.

Ampel varieties of verbena will decorate balconies, terraces and gazebos. In hanging pots, verbena grows rapidly, forming a huge blooming ball.

Verbena in landscape design

Experiments in joint plantings of verbena can be prompted by a photo of competent landscape design or your own imagination.

You can meet verbena both on the plots of experienced gardeners and beginners. Abundant flowering of verbena in tandem with minimal care will create a real extravaganza in the garden, even for a novice lover.

Planting and growing verbena: video

Varvains and types of verbena: photo