Verbena


1 entry found.
Picture of Verbena Verbena
Common Name: Vervain, Verbena
Botanical Name: Verbena X hybriba (ver-BEE-na X HI-brid-a)
Decorative Life: 2-4 plus weeks depending on environment.
Post Harvest Care:
  • When light and other environmental conditions are improper, leaf yellowing and/or flower fall are common.
Harvest Instructions: Plugs can be stored for 1 week in the dark (1 week in light) at 45F and subsequently grown into very acceptable plants and/or flowers. Treatment with a growth retardant (paclobutrazol or uniconazol) is recommended to prevent stem lodging (falling over) after transplanting outdoors. These chemicals did not otherwise influence flower and cluster number or size.
Family Roots:
  • Member of Verbenaceae (vervain family).
  • Mostly tropical Americas in origin.
  • Common relatives include lantana, lemon verbena and clerodendrum.
Personality:
  • Classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined.
  • Flowers rounded, in flat clusters 2-3 inches wide at stem ends.
  • Stems trailing, leaves oblong, 2-4 inches long. As such, often used in hanging baskets.
  • Flowers not fragrant.
Availability: Year-round but mostly used in the summer.
Flower Color: Mostly bicolors, blue, lilac, red, white and/or yellowish.
Tidbits:
  • Verbena: ancient Latin name for the common European vervain, V. officinalis.
  • Some favorite cultivars and their flower color are 'Pink Shades', 'Blue with Eye' (blue bicolor), 'Mauve Shades' (rose bicolor), 'Heirloom Blue', 'Heirloom Mango', Babylon Neon Rose' and 'Babylon Lilac'.
  • Common name Vervain is supposed to be derived from the Celtic words "fer" (to remove) and "faen" (stone), referring to its use in treating bladder stones.
  • Will generally do well in light levels at least bright enough to read a newspaper in comfort but more light would be better.
  • The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology lists this species as an allergy-safe pollen producing plant.