Verbena is a plant valued for its decorative qualities, mainly beautiful flowers. Verbena are perfect for flower beds, but also feel great in containers on balconies and terraces. A wide range of applications has made verbena extremely popular plants today, so it is worth getting acquainted with their requirements and numerous species and varieties.
Verbena is valued for the beauty of its flowers
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Verbena belongs to the family Verbenaceae - verbena family.In Poland, there is only one naturally occurring species of verbena - common verbena (Verbena officinalis), but there is much greater species diversity in cultivation. In our country, verbena is one of the most popular plants most often planted in containers on terraces and balconies.Verbena hanging from containersfrom containers is a really common sight in various compositions, where it is great as an addition or main plant to the composition.
Verbena - requirements and cultivation
Verbena thrives in humus, fertile and well-drained soils, in sunny placesWhen the soil is sandy and barren, it is not suitable for growing verbena.
Seeds of this plants should be sown in February or early March in a greenhouse. Then, the sprouted plants are picked up into multi-pot pallets and after 2-3 weeks the tops of the shoots are trimmed to stimulate the planting. At home, we can prepare a seedling of flowersby placing boxes with sown verbena seeds on the window sillso that they have as much light as possible.
You can create beautiful carpets from verbena flowers
Fig. pixabay.com
The permanent planting of verbena takes place in the second half of May , when the temperature stabilizes at a higher level and the risk of frost is no longer present. During this periodyou can also buy ready-made verbena seedlingsin flower shops and garden stores. The planting distance is 20x30 cm.
It is worth knowing thatwhen summer is cold and rainy, verbena easily dieThey require (especially in drought) regular watering, thanks to which they will bloom for a long time.
Verbena care does not require too much effortas long as we provide it with regular water and do not allow the substrate to dry out, and also expose it in a sunny and warm place that is best for these plants.
Note!Verbena should not be heavily fertilized with nitrogen because it will produce a lot of leaves instead of flowers. Therefore, a fertilizer for flowering plants is recommended, which contains less nitrogen, but is rich in phosphorus and potassium, which favor abundant flowering of verbena.
Verbena - application
Tall verbena varieties are suitable for cut flowers and flower beds, while short verbena varieties are planted in rockeries and containers.The most suitable for containers and pots are hanging verbenaVerbena are perfect for filling gaps at the front of a bed or creating an edge of a stone path, as well as for planting pots and balcony boxes.
Verbena in a pot
Fig. Renia, forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
In addition to the decorative qualities of verbena, it is also worth appreciatinghealing properties of common verbena(we discuss them in more detail below, in the description of this species), as well as the wonderful taste oflemon verbena(Verbena triphylla), which is used as a cooking spice.
Verbena species and varieties
There are several types of verbena used in our country. Naturally, we have only one species of verbena - common verbena.
Common verbena Verbena officinalis
It occurs throughout the low and foothills. Reaches a height of about 70 cm. All the stems are raised. The broad leaves, those that are lowest on the stem, are whole, while at medium height, only 3-lobed leaves can be observed, while the leaves highest on the stem are completely sessile, slightly trimmed.Verbena flowers are very small, pale pink in color
Tiny flowers of common verbena
Fig. AnRo0002, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Common verbena is grown mainly for its he alth and healing properties, but it is also used for ornamental purposes.The medicinal raw material is the herb verbena , which can be used as a warming, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antipyretic agent. The antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties of the herb verbena are also appreciated.Verbena can be used to make tea that has a calming, relaxing and relaxing effect.
The varieties of verbena with bicolor flowers are especially beautiful
Canadian verbena Verbena canadensis
It occurs naturally in North America where it is a perennial. It is not a tall plant, it can reach a maximum of 40 cm. It has strongly branched stems and profusely leaves. The leaves of this species are extremely decorative, pinnate, lively green. It also has beautiful amaranth flowers gathered in top spikes, blooms from mid-June until autumn.
Canadian verbena is available in several interesting varieties. 'Perfecta' is the most popular variety, with a height of 20-25 cm and pink-purple flowers. 'Toronto' is a variety characterized by very long and lush flowering, the flowers are magenta.
Canadian verbena has the same requirements asgarden verbena . This type of verbena is suitable for flower beds, flower beds and rock gardens. It looks especially beautiful in combination with plants with silvery foliage, such as purgatory.
Verbena in a garden shop
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Garden verbena Verbena hybrida
All varieties collected under the namegarden verbenacome from crosses of several species of verbena (hence the Latin term - hybrida). These species are mainly Verbena peruviana, Verbena incisa, Verbena platensis. All these species are perennial plants with strong and branched stems, beautifully flowering. They bloom from late June to September, which is all summer.
Depending on the heightthe varieties of garden verbena are divided into 3 groups :
- Grandiflora- larger varieties, 50 cm high
- Compacta- about 30 cm high
- Compacta Nana- the lowest, up to 15 cm high
The most valuablevarieties of garden verbenain Poland belong to the second group, i.e. Compacta, they are mainly: 'Janina' and 'Magda' with amaranth flowers, 'Wiesia' o heather color.Among the foreign verbena in the Compacta group it is worth mentioning: 'Obsession', 'Novalis',' Romeo 'and' Quartz. A very interesting variety is the garden verbena 'Peaches and Creams' of the Grandiflora group, which creates beautiful cushions of serrated leaves in summer, with orange-pink flowers that turn apricot and then cream-yellow as they grow.
Patagonian Webena(Verbena bonariensis)It is a plant that grows up to 1.5 m high and about 50 cm wide. Patagonian verbena leaves grow at the base of the shoots, are elliptical in shape, dark green in color, with serrated edges. Tiny lavender flowers gathered in spherical inflorescences appear on the tops of the stiff shoots of this plant. Flowering lasts from mid-summer until the first autumn frosts. Webena Patagonian is not able to survive temperature drops below 0 ° C, therefore in our climate it is grown as an annual. It is easy to spread and often self-seeding in gardens in spring.
String verbena Verbena rigida
The height of these verbena reaches 30-40 cm. Stems are raised, branched, with little foliage in the upper part. The flowers are small, blue-lilac. The entire plant is covered with rough, short hairs. The requirements of this species are the same as all verbena.
Attention!To achieve eye-catching blue carpets, plant them densely, at intervals of 25 x 20 cm.
Venison verbena is very tolerant of unfavorable environmental conditions. It tolerates air pollution well, so it is perfect for city flowerbeds.
