The beauty of scientific names is that it provides us with an international code to talk about a particular plant, not only with each other, but with others throughout the world. Whiteflies are attracted to some verbenas in urban areas. These plants prefer growing in sunny locations and in well-drained soil. Uses. Avoid overhead watering. Soggy plants will succumb to botrytis blight, but drought-stressed plants will attract spider mites. Water verbena as you might your lawn, with an inch of rain or irrigation each week. Moisten the growing mix and allow it to drain. continued to pruning deadhead and faded blooms so that they were blooming in the growing season for a long time. Growing taller than the other verbenas, it can reach a height of 18 to 24 inches, and spread up to 4 feet wide. The cold temperatures actually help to break the dormancy of the seed, so when spring temperatures warm, the Verbena seeds are ready to germinate. It can be grown as an annual outside of its growing range. Irrigation can be reduced after the plants have finished blooming. It is recommended to sow Moss Verbena seeds directly outdoors in the late fall. Growing lemon verbena in a container is an ideal way to cultivate the plant all year in colder regions, Container-grown lemon verbena also stays a more manageable size than plants grown in the ground. Place the potted moss verbena seeds near a large window with eight hours of sun exposure each day. Gooding’s Verbena and others are great at attracting butterflies. Well-drained and rocky or sandy soils are preferred. It thrives within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9B to 11, where it is widely planted as a ground cover or container plant. In colder climates, treat as an annual. Though it is semi-hardy, verbena is mostly treated as an annual plant. In the spring season, they are set out after fertilization once a year. Plant Details. Verbena is somewhat drought tolerant, and it certainly does not do well in boggy conditions, but you must not underwater it either. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Small clusters of violet or pink flowers will appear among its fern-like leaves. Watch for the first signs of sprouting in two to four weeks. They have been reclassified into the genus, Glandularia. Purple Moss Verbena is a spreading, tender perennial with lovely, fern-like foliage and purple flowers. Growing Low-Maintenance Moss Once established, moss requires no watering, no mowing, no fertilizing and no weeding. They do well in xeriscape gardens. Verbenas are perennial groundcovers that can provide spectacular splashes of color and interest to the landscape from spring into summer. Glandularia gooddingii or Goodding’s Verbena. Moss verbena, also known as South American mock vervain, is an introduced perennial from South America. Keep plants evenly moist until established, when they can tolerate some dry spells. During their blooming period, give them a thorough watering once a week if they do not receive an inch of rain that week. Visit our page on Choosing and Planting Low Water-Use Plants for tips on plant selection and how to plant properly. Newer cultivars boast even better flower production and a broader array of color options than ever before. This not only removes the seed heads that signal the plant to rest but also … The rigid, narrow leaves have a distinctive sandpapery texture, and are much larger than other common verbenas. Water regularly and thoroughly until your Verbenas are well established. Mist the seeds with a spray bottle until the growing mixture feels moderately moist in the top 1/4-inch. Verbena is most vulnerable to powdery mildew when it is planted in partial shade with poor drainage. However, when purchasing at a landscape nursery, you will most often find these plants sold under the old name of “Verbena.” All this comes down to explaining why we will list the currently accepted scientific name for these plants, but will fall back to the ‘verbena’ nomenclature when referring to the common name. Verbena is generally pretty happy-go-lucky. Keep the container in full sun and water daily. The foliage is light green, deeply lobed, and covered with white hairs. If you grow it in perennials in your … Avoid getting water on the seedling since excess moisture on the leaves increases the likelihood of fungal infection. Moss verbena grows well from seeds, which germinate reliably when exposed to warm temperatures. Pruning. It is an excellent perennial for ground cover. Verbena Plant Care While the verbena flower is drought resistant, the blooms are improved with regular watering of an inch or so each week. See more ideas about Xeriscape, Texas native plants, Landscape design. Since Moss Verbena can look a little ragged in the summer, it is most effective when mixed with more evergreen plants or treated as a spring annual. Fill individual 3-inch starter pots with a mix of three parts sterile potting soil and one part coarse sand. This species is thought to be the best verbena species for the Phoenix area. During their blooming period, weekly watering helps produce glorious flower displays. The botanical name given to plants is often referred to as the “scientific name” or “Latin name.” Each plant has a name made up of two parts, a generic (or genus) name and a specific epithet (or species) name. It can reach heights up to 12-inches tall. Because of its underground stems (rhizomes), Sandpaper Verbena can recover from severe freezes, and is a good choice for colder locations. water : Moderate Water. Her nearly 20 years of experience in horticulture informs her work, which has appeared in publications such as Mother Earth News. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Moss verbena is known by the synonymous botanical names Glandularia pulchella and Verbena erinoides. Water verbena plants at the base to avoid wetting the foliage. Even flowers that are drooping but aren’t already spent should be removed. The lifespan of this species is generally limited to two or three years. All verbena needs to grow in full sun to light shade in well-draining soil. This species is very low-growing, only 4 to 8 inches tall, and spreads 2 to 5 feet across. While established verbenas are drought tolerant, performance, bloom, and growth rate will be reduced if they are too dry for a long period. The lifespan of this species is generally limited to two or three years. Tolerates sandy and low fertility soil. Soak the seeds in a bowl of water for an hour or two to determine which are viable. Verbena looks just as good weaving through garden beds as it does spilling from pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Acclimate the plants to direct sun for a few days before transplanting them into the garden. Set the temperature on the mat to between 70 and 75 F. Check the moisture level in the soil mixture twice daily. Verbena also tolerates midsummer drought and baking heat with little complaint, making it the ultimate easy-care flower. It requires supplemental water to make it through the hot summer months. Photo: Noelle Johnson, AZ Plant Lady. Oct 25, 2013 - Explore Lindsey Johnson's board "Texas Native Yardscape" on Pinterest. Broadcast the Moss Verbena ground cover seeds in prepared soil that is weed free. Although the seeds require no pretreatment and little hands-on care to germinate, the growing medium must be kept slightly dry after sowing to prevent potentially damaging fungal infections and bacterial growth. Regularly pruning the plant encourages flowers throughout the summer. It’s a great way to make sure we are comparing apples to apples (that would be Malus pumila to Malus pumila).