How to Choose a Variety of Verbena Flowers to Meet Your Gardening Needs
The verbena plant is highly diverse, offering a range of growth habits, flower colors, and environmental preferences. Here's a deeper look at the main types of verbena, their differences, and the best growing conditions for each.
Trailing Verbena (Verbena canadensis)
Growth Habit: This variety is a low-growing, spreading plant that is perfect for ground cover. It grows to about 6-12 inches tall and spreads up to 24 inches wide, making it ideal for cascading over the edges of containers or hanging baskets.
Flowers: Trailing verbena produces small, five-petaled blooms in shades of purple, pink, red, and white.
Best Growing Conditions: This type thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. It is drought-tolerant and performs best in USDA zones 7-11. In cooler climates, it's grown as an annual, but in warmer zones, it can act as a perennial.
Best Use: Ground cover, containers, hanging baskets.
Tall Verbena (Verbena bonariensis)
Growth Habit: Known for its tall, airy stems that can reach up to 3-6 feet in height, Verbena bonariensis is a striking choice for adding vertical interest to gardens.
Flowers: It produces clusters of small lavender-purple flowers at the top of long, slender stems, which sway gracefully in the breeze.
Best Growing Conditions: This tall verbena prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It is hardy in USDA zones 7-11 and can be treated as a perennial in these regions. In cooler zones, it is grown as an annual but often self-seeds to return the following year.
Best Use: Borders, pollinator gardens (butterflies love this variety!), and as a vertical accent in flower beds.
Moss Verbena (Verbena tenuisecta)
Growth Habit: Another low-growing variety, Moss verbena has a mat-like, creeping growth habit that can quickly spread across the ground. It reaches about 6-12 inches in height and spreads even wider, making it a popular choice for ground cover in hot, dry areas.
Flowers: This variety offers vibrant purple, pink, and blue flowers in small clusters, blooming profusely from late spring through summer.
Best Growing Conditions: Moss verbena thrives in dry, sandy soils with full sun exposure. It is well-suited to USDA zones 7-11 and is particularly drought-tolerant, making it a great choice for xeriscaping or low-water gardens.
Best Use: Ground cover, erosion control on slopes, rock gardens.
Clump Verbena (Verbena rigida)
Growth Habit: Clump verbena forms more of a mounded, bushy shape, reaching about 12-18 inches tall with a spread of 12-24 inches. It has more rigid stems than trailing types, giving it a more upright structure.
Flowers: This variety produces rounded clusters of bright purple or violet flowers. It blooms over a long period, often from late spring through fall.
Best Growing Conditions: Clump verbena prefers full sun and well-drained soil and is hardy in USDA zones 7-10. It tolerates heat well and is more drought-resistant than many other perennials.
Best Use: Garden borders, mass plantings, and containers.
Hybrid Verbena (Verbena x hybrida)
Growth Habit: Hybrid verbenas are bred to combine the best traits of various verbena species, resulting in vigorous, compact plants that bloom profusely. They typically grow 6-12 inches tall and spread up to 18 inches.
Flowers: These hybrids offer a wide range of flower colors, including pink, red, purple, blue, and white. Many hybrid verbenas are known for their larger, showier blooms compared to other varieties.
Best Growing Conditions: Hybrid verbena thrives in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. While generally grown as annuals, they can be perennial in zones 9-11. They prefer regular watering but will tolerate some drought once established.
Best Use: Flower beds, containers, hanging baskets, mass plantings.
Where Each Type Grows Best
Hot and Dry Climates (USDA Zones 7-11): Trailing Verbena, Moss Verbena, and Clump Verbena excel in these conditions due to their drought tolerance. These varieties are particularly well-suited to xeriscaping, rock gardens, or sunny borders.
Cooler Climates (USDA Zones 4-6): In cooler regions, Tall Verbena (Verbena bonariensis) and Hybrid Verbena work well as annuals. These varieties may not be perennial, but they bloom vigorously throughout the growing season and can self-seed for next year.
Containers and Hanging Baskets: Trailing Verbena and Hybrid Verbena are perfect for containers, hanging baskets, or cascading over walls. Their compact and sprawling growth habit ensures they provide consistent color throughout the season.
Butterfly Gardens and Pollinator-Friendly Spaces: Tall Verbena is a magnet for butterflies and pollinators, making it an excellent choice for wildlife gardens or as a tall, graceful backdrop in flower beds.
