Verbena Growing Tips for Warm Zones

Verbena is a genus containing about 250 species, many of which also simply go by “verbena” in common parlance, or if we’re lucky, something like the highly specific “purple verbena.”

When I saw that my colleague here at Gardener’s Path had written a guide to growing verbena, one of my favorite ground covers, I eagerly clicked over to his article. And a fine article it is.

However, Matt’s idea of this plant, unsurprisingly, is very different from mine.

While Matt is more familiar with the varieties of this plant that do well in Pennsylvania, where he lives, what I know as verbena in central Texas seems like a completely different plant.

All that is to say: I’m here to tell you about the varieties that do well in the south and southwest US, not the ones that need tons of water and lots of babying, and I’ll explain how to care for them down here.

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Let’s start with the fact that up in PA, this plant is considered an annual. But down here, our verbenas totally tough it out through our brutal, maybe-one-freeze-a-season winters.

Here’s everything I’ll cover:

Let’s get started!

There are several different ways that you can propagate your plants down south, whether you prefer to start seeds, take cuttings from existing plants, or transplant potted ones that you picked up from a nursery.

Inside, you’ll want to start seeds 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost. Germination can be slow, taking as long as 28 days. Some gardeners have the best luck germinating verbena seeds in total darkness.

Fill your seed flats or individual containers with potting soil, and water so