Description—Usually grown as a perennial in the low desert and as an annual in higher elevations, verbena is a low-growing, sprawling evergreen plant. It produces clusters of solid-color or bi-colored flowers. Plants range in size from 6 to 24 inches high and 2 to 6 feet across.

Best traits—This hardy genus flowers in a number of colors, including white, pink, purple, orange, red and blue. Its fine-textured foliage mixes well with other flora. A magnet for butterflies, verbena is a prolific bloomer in the desert Southwest from winter through spring. It is heat-tolerant, low-maintenance and it flowers nonstop for months on end.

In the garden—Often utilized as a colorful ground cover, this plant can be grown as edging along paths and driveways, used to fill bare spots in the landscape, or mixed with other butterfly-attracting plants such as dill and echinacea. It also is a good choice as a hanging or container plant.

Note: Some varieties die back or go dormant after a frost or in high heat. They will, however, recover on their own. Moss verbena reseeds with abandon.


GROWING TIPS
• Plant in fall or spring in well-draining soil in full to partial sun.
• Water new plants daily for a week; then cut back to once every four to seven days.
• Apply a liquid fertilizer at half strength once a month to potted plants only.
• Prune early in fall to reduce plant size or stimulate new growth.

RECOMMENDED SPECIES
• Moss verbena (Verbena tenuisecta; V. pulchella)
• Sandpaper verbena (V. rigida)
• Verbena peruviana ‘Red’
• Verbena x ‘Summer Beauty™’