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Verbena hastata

Tall hardy perennial with mauve-blue flowers over a long period in summer

Verbena hastata

Verbena hastata, 2 litre containers

Verbena hastata, 2 litre container

Established plants in two-litre containers

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 two-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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£9.75

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Before ordering with us please make sure you read the pages below to help you understand what to expect when buying plants online from a nursery such as ours. For instance the photographs in our listings are intended to give you an impression of our plants in their mature (and usually flowering) form. The last photograph in this listing provides an indication of the size of the plant to expect when you buy from us. It is not a guarantee of the way the top growth will look when you receive the plant(s), as this will depend on the time of the season you have ordered the plant and it simply isn’t possible to provide photographs of the plants at every stage of growth during the year. Plants ordered in spring, autumn or winter for example may have much reduced or tired top growth that will regrow later in the season / the following season and you should be aware of this when ordering at these times. If you have any questions about the current condition of any of our plants please do get in touch, or see the links below for more information about what to expect.

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