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Verbena Verbena x hybrida

Other Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
ver-BEE-nah BY HYE-brid-ah
Description

Garden Verbena can be trailing to upright plants and are grown as annuals in most areas. They have moderate drought tolerance and showy flowers with a long bloom season. Trailing varieties do well in containers or hanging baskets. Upright varieties look great in a border. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowers.  V. tenuifolia is distinguished by pinnatifid leaves, deeply lobed with thin segments.  V. canadensis is distinguished by ovate leaves that are cuneate or wedge-shaped basally and corolla lobes that are emarginate with a shallow notch.

This species is an artificial hybrid.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Some cultivars have shown good resistance to abiotic disorder and fair resistance to phytophthora and pythium root rot (where fair is defined as less than half of the plants studied dying from the diseases). Other cultivars, however, showed a poor resistance to phytophtyora root rot and stem rot. See Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot in the Landscape.

 VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens. 

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Aztec Dark Purple'
  • 'Aztec Lavender'
  • 'Aztec Pink Bicolor'
  • 'Aztec Rose Pink'
  • 'Enduro Purple'
  • 'Homestead Purple'
  • 'Lanai Blush White'
  • 'Lanai Bright Eye'
  • 'Lanai Candy Cane'
  • 'Lanai Lavender Star'
  • 'Lanai Upright Rose with Eye'
    Fair amount of resistance to phytophthora.
  • 'Lascar Compact Dark Red'
  • 'Magelana Plum Frost'
  • 'Magelana Purple'
  • 'Marie's Rose'
  • 'Obsession Lavender'
  • 'Obsession Pink'
  • 'Phlox'
  • 'Quartz Pink'
    Fair amount of resistance to phytophthora.
  • 'Quartz Red with Eye'
    Fair amount of resistance to phytophthora and pythium root rot.
  • 'Royal Iced Cherry'
  • 'Superbena Coral Red Improved'
  • 'Superbena Royale Chambray'
    Shows good resistance to abiotic disorder.
  • 'Superbena Royale Iced Cherry'
  • 'Superbena Royal Whitecap'
  • 'Superbena Stormburst'
    Poor resistance to phytophthora root rot or stem rot.
  • 'Superbena Violet Ice'
  • 'Tapian Blue'
'Aztec Dark Purple', 'Aztec Lavender', 'Aztec Pink Bicolor', 'Aztec Rose Pink', 'Enduro Purple', 'Homestead Purple', 'Lanai Blush White', 'Lanai Bright Eye', 'Lanai Candy Cane', 'Lanai Lavender Star', 'Lanai Upright Rose with Eye', 'Lascar Compact Dark Red', 'Magelana Plum Frost', 'Magelana Purple', 'Marie's Rose', 'Obsession Lavender', 'Obsession Pink', 'Phlox', 'Quartz Pink', 'Quartz Red with Eye', 'Royal Iced Cherry', 'Superbena Coral Red Improved', 'Superbena Royale Chambray', 'Superbena Royale Iced Cherry', 'Superbena Royal Whitecap', 'Superbena Stormburst', 'Superbena Violet Ice', 'Tapian Blue'
Tags:
#hummingbird friendly#full sun tolerant#drought tolerant#salmon#white flowers#pink flowers#orange flowers#apvg#fall interest#cpp#summer flowers#spring interest#pollinator plant#fantz#apvg-a#partial shade tolerant#annual
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Aztec Dark Purple'
  • 'Aztec Lavender'
  • 'Aztec Pink Bicolor'
  • 'Aztec Rose Pink'
  • 'Enduro Purple'
  • 'Homestead Purple'
  • 'Lanai Blush White'
  • 'Lanai Bright Eye'
  • 'Lanai Candy Cane'
  • 'Lanai Lavender Star'
  • 'Lanai Upright Rose with Eye'
    Fair amount of resistance to phytophthora.
  • 'Lascar Compact Dark Red'
  • 'Magelana Plum Frost'
  • 'Magelana Purple'
  • 'Marie's Rose'
  • 'Obsession Lavender'
  • 'Obsession Pink'
  • 'Phlox'
  • 'Quartz Pink'
    Fair amount of resistance to phytophthora.
  • 'Quartz Red with Eye'
    Fair amount of resistance to phytophthora and pythium root rot.
  • 'Royal Iced Cherry'
  • 'Superbena Coral Red Improved'
  • 'Superbena Royale Chambray'
    Shows good resistance to abiotic disorder.
  • 'Superbena Royale Iced Cherry'
  • 'Superbena Royal Whitecap'
  • 'Superbena Stormburst'
    Poor resistance to phytophthora root rot or stem rot.
  • 'Superbena Violet Ice'
  • 'Tapian Blue'
'Aztec Dark Purple', 'Aztec Lavender', 'Aztec Pink Bicolor', 'Aztec Rose Pink', 'Enduro Purple', 'Homestead Purple', 'Lanai Blush White', 'Lanai Bright Eye', 'Lanai Candy Cane', 'Lanai Lavender Star', 'Lanai Upright Rose with Eye', 'Lascar Compact Dark Red', 'Magelana Plum Frost', 'Magelana Purple', 'Marie's Rose', 'Obsession Lavender', 'Obsession Pink', 'Phlox', 'Quartz Pink', 'Quartz Red with Eye', 'Royal Iced Cherry', 'Superbena Coral Red Improved', 'Superbena Royale Chambray', 'Superbena Royale Iced Cherry', 'Superbena Royal Whitecap', 'Superbena Stormburst', 'Superbena Violet Ice', 'Tapian Blue'
Tags:
#hummingbird friendly#full sun tolerant#drought tolerant#salmon#white flowers#pink flowers#orange flowers#apvg#fall interest#cpp#summer flowers#spring interest#pollinator plant#fantz#apvg-a#partial shade tolerant#annual
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Verbena
    Family:
    Verbenaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Annual
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Stem Cutting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    South America
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Some cultivars have shown good resistance to abiotic disorder.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Annual
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Blue
    Gold/Yellow
    Pink
    Variegated
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Spike
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Long-lasting
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Star
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Description:
    Small five-petaled flowers in rounded 3-inch clusters on the end of branches from late spring to fall. Inflorescence is a congested spike in flower, sessile, flat-topped, to 2" diameter; axes expanding as moves into fruiting.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Rough
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Opposite
    Leaf Shape:
    Oblong
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    2-4 inch oblong toothed leaves are gray-green to dark green in color with a rough texture.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Cross Section:
    Square
    Stem Form:
    Straight
    Stem Description:
    Erect to decumbent green stems
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Container
    Hanging Baskets
    Landscape Theme:
    Cottage Garden
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Mass Planting
    Attracts:
    Hummingbirds
    Pollinators