Description
Verbena hastata, commonly known as the blue vervain, is the lesser well-known cousin of Verbena bonariensis. There’s no particularly good reason, as far as we can tell, why it is less frequently grown – certainly in our view it’s a better garden plant that can take colder temperatures and is generally otherwise just as robust. Verbena hastata has slim mid-green leaves growing from strong, square stems that branch in quite a regimented fashion. Around mid summer each of those branches terminates in mid-sized clumps of buds that open out into lovely mauve-blue flowers, ordered in a structured way around the top of the plant much like the arms of a candelabra (the latin epithet hastata means ‘spear-shaped’). The flowers go on forever, and are hugely popular with wildlife – we’ve always found them to be a real magnet for butterflies.
These established, garden-ready plants have been grown at our nursery in Cornwall and are supplied in 2 litre containers . They will grow to an ultimate height of about 1.2 metres (4 feet) and a spread of around half of that.
Growing Advice
Verbenas generally prefer well-drained conditions – however Verbena hastata is more tolerant than most of wet soils, particularly during the growing season when it prefers soils that are consistently moist to establish its roots. The key perhaps is to look for lighter soils rather than very dry soils (this is one distinction between this plant and Verbena bonariensis) that don’t become too heavy and waterlogged in the winter. They like as much sun and you can get them. Their stout stems make them quite good choices for more exposed conditions. Their beloved flowers and more open structure make them particularly good in informal wildlife gardens but will also add structure and vertical accent to more formal schemes.
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