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Verbena - Blue Vervain
Seed Packet

Verbena - Blue Vervain

Verbena hastata
Blue vervain has narrow flower spikes artfully arranged into a candelabra of vivid violet-purple blooms. The spike flowers resemble stiff woven cords, and the florets open and burn bright from the bottom to the tops of the spikes from summer to fall. Once called Simpler's Joy for its medicinal qualities, it now graces streambanks and moist meadows, spreading to offer drifts that butterflies can't resist.
SKU #S1517
$3.25
Details
Approximate Seeds Per Packet
714
Lifecycle
Perennial
Perennial Hardiness Zone
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8
Mature Size
3-6' h x 1-2.5' w
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Regular, moist
Season
Summer
Color
Deep violet purple
Features
Great Cut Flower
Deer Resistant
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Bees
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Beneficial Insects
SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Depth:
Surface to just cover; requires light to germinate.
Sprout Time:
14-60 days
Starting Indoors:
Stratify for 30 days. Sow in a container, cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate, or mix seed with damp clean sand or vermiculite, bag, and refrigerate at 35-40F. Check often for germination and maintain a lightly moist medium. Transplant any seedlings as they germinate. After the chill period, sow into soilless media and keep at 60-70F.
Starting Outdoors:
Direct sow in fall or earliest spring, or wintersow into pots in the shade, covered with a thin layer of clean sand and a wire screen to keep out mice and voles. Check for water, keeping evenly moist.
WHEN TO SET OUTSIDE
After last frost.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Native to most of the USA, blue vervain's branched spikes of purple contrast wonderfully with all those daisies of summer and fall, especially useful in masses with other moisture-loving natives, such as bee balm, swamp milkweed, and sweet coneflower. Best in the wild garden as it runs and self-sows to beautiful effect. A plant host to the caterpillars of the verbena moth, it is also a magnet for bumblebees, specialist bees and beneficial insects.
Final Spacing:
1-2'
Water Requirements:
High Water Use
Watering Details:
Keep moist; tolerates wet settings
Soil pH:
Slightly acid to alkaline
Fertilizer:
If soil is especially poor, add a couple of inches of compost prior to planting and top-dress in the spring yearly thereafter.
Diseases & Pests:
No major problems.
When to Cut for Bouquets:
As desired—florets open a few at a time
Growing Guides Winter Sowing Guide
Access here