Perennial or annual
How to grow verbena
Verbena bonariensis / V. × hybrida
Verbena covers two different garden plants. Verbena bonariensis is a tall, airy perennial for full sun and poor, free-draining soil: plant it in May, leave the stems on over winter and cut back in March. Trailing bedding verbena is frost-tender and grown in baskets and pots, planted out in late May and fed through summer. Both flower from June to October. That long run of open flowers makes Verbena bonariensis a regular in wildlife gardening. For the tall one, drainage in winter decides survival; for the trailing ones, it is regular watering and deadheading.
- Hardiness
- V. bonariensis frost-hardy; trailing types tender
- Position
- Full sun
- Soil
- Free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting verbena
WhenSow Feb to Mar indoors or plant May; flowers Jun to Oct
Starting off
Sow V. bonariensis Feb to Mar at 18 to 21 °C after a fortnight's chilling, surface-sown and lightly covered, germination 14 to 28 days; plant out May. Trailing types come from soft tip cuttings 8 cm long in Aug to Sep rooted at 18 °C and overwintered frost-free. Self-sown V. bonariensis seedlings transplant in Apr.
Spacing and planting
V. bonariensis 45 to 60 cm apart in drifts; trailing V. × hybrida 25 to 30 cm, or five per 35 cm basket. Trailing types are fine in a 25 cm pot; V. bonariensis is fine in a 40 cm pot and self-seeds into gravel.
Varieties worth growing
- V. bonariensis
- Wiry 1.5 m stems topped with small purple heads that other plants show through; self-seeds, and butterflies love it.
- V. bonariensis 'Lollipop'
- The same flower on a 60 cm plant, for pots, small gardens and the front of a border.
- V. rigida
- Bright purple, 45 cm, spreading slowly from tuberous roots; a neat edging plant for a hot, dry bed.
- V. 'Sissinghurst'
- Classic trailing verbena with magenta-pink heads and finely cut leaves; raised from cuttings and very free-flowering in a basket.
- V. 'Homestead Purple'
- Vigorous spreading verbena with rich purple flowers, hardier than most trailing types and able to overwinter in a mild, well-drained spot.
Verbena month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. Leave V. bonariensis stems standing.
- February
Sow V. bonariensis in a heated propagator after two weeks' chilling in the fridge.
- March
Sow. Cut V. bonariensis to 10 cm once new shoots show at the base.
- April
Move self-sown seedlings to where you want them. Pot on overwintered cuttings.
- May
Plant V. bonariensis. Harden off trailing types and plant out late in the month.
- June
Flowering starts. Top-dress V. bonariensis in pots.
- July
Top-dress baskets and pots early in the month and water in. Deadhead trailing types and trim leggy stems by a third.
- August
Take 8 cm tip cuttings of trailing verbena. Water baskets daily. Second and last top-dress mid month.
- September
Last cuttings early in the month. Leave V. bonariensis to seed.
- October
Bring rooted cuttings under frost-free cover. Clear trailing plants after frost.
- November
Mulch the crowns of V. bonariensis and V. rigida 10 cm deep.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding verbena
Verbena bonariensis in the ground needs no fertiliser and flops if it gets any. Trailing verbena in baskets is the opposite: a base feed with a little sulphate of potash at planting and two light top-dressings of the same dry fertiliser keep it flowering.
Light-to-moderate, a high-K feed in pots; lean, sunny conditions suit it.
Feeding plan
Beds, all year
Nothing
No feed for V. bonariensis or V. rigida in open ground. Lean, gravelly soil gives stiffer stems and better winter survival.
Planting baskets and pots, late May
5 g per litre of compost, the low end of the label: about 40 g mixed into a 35 cm basket holding 8 litres, or 35 g for a 25 cm pot holding 7 litres.
Planting baskets and pots, late May
1 g per litre of compost, the low end of the label, mixed in with the base feed: 8 g for a 35 cm basket holding 8 litres, or 7 g for a 25 cm pot holding 7 litres. Once. Trailing types only.
Early July and again in mid August, trailing types in baskets and pots
2 g per litre of compost, the low end of the label top-dress: 16 g for a 35 cm basket holding 8 litres, or 14 g for a 25 cm pot holding 7 litres, scattered on the compost and watered in. The two dressings are 5 to 6 weeks apart, the label interval. Go up to 4 g per litre (32 g or 28 g) if the leaves pale and flowering thins in a wet summer.
June, V. bonariensis in a pot, once
2 g per litre of compost: 50 g for a 40 cm pot holding about 25 litres, scattered on the surface and watered in. Once a year and no more, or the stems soften.
No fertiliser is recommended for Verbena bonariensis in open ground; the feeding plan is for containers.
Signs to watch
Pale leaves and thin flowering in a basket
Nutrients washed out
A light top-dress of the dry feed in the feeding plan, watered in
V. bonariensis lush and flopping
Rich soil or feed
No feed, lean gravel
Leaves scorched and crisp in Aug
Drought
Water deeply once a week
Pests, diseases and problems
White powdery coating on the leaves of trailing verbena from July
Powdery mildew, brought on by dry compost and crowded growth
Never let baskets dry right out, trim congested stems by a third in July, remove the worst growth, and choose newer series sold as mildew resistant.
Shoot tips sticky, leaves curled, green or black insects on new growth
Aphids
Squash them, or spray with a plant soap solution in the evening and repeat a week later.
Seedlings and newly planted trailing verbena eaten overnight
Slugs and snails
Grow plants on to a good size before planting out and check under basket rims and pot edges at dusk.
Overwintering cuttings have pale speckled leaves with fine webbing, or clouds of tiny white flies
Red spider mite or glasshouse whitefly, building up in warm, dry air under cover
Keep cuttings cool and well ventilated, mist the undersides of the leaves, hang yellow sticky traps for whitefly, and bin badly infested plants.
V. bonariensis fails to reappear in spring
Cold combined with wet soil, or simply age: plants last only two to three years
Leave the stems on until March, mulch the crown in November, and let a few self-sown seedlings grow on as replacements.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Deadhead trailing types by pinching spent heads; trim leggy stems by a third in Jul. V. bonariensis needs no staking; leave stems over winter and cut to 10 cm in Mar when new shoots show, or let seedlings replace short-lived plants after 2 to 3 years. A 10 cm mulch over the crown in Nov helps it through −8 °C.
Good to knowVerbena bonariensis is a tall see-through perennial; trailing types are for baskets.
Growing verbena in pots
Trailing verbena is made for containers: five plants in a 35 cm basket, or three in a 25 cm pot, in peat-free multipurpose compost with the base feed mixed in. Hang or stand it in full sun and water daily in summer; a basket that dries out is the usual start of mildew. Deadhead as the heads fade. Verbena bonariensis will grow in a 40 cm pot, about 25 litres, of loam-based compost with a quarter of grit, but 'Lollipop' is the better choice for a pot because the full-size plant is top-heavy. Move pots of the perennial kinds against a wall for winter.
Verbena: common questions
Does Verbena bonariensis come back every year?
Usually, but it is a short-lived perennial. In free-draining soil it survives a normal winter and regrows from the base, and plants last two to three years. It self-seeds freely in gravel and bare soil, so there are nearly always young plants to take over. On cold, wet clay treat it as an annual and sow each spring.
When should I cut back Verbena bonariensis?
Cut Verbena bonariensis back in March, once new shoots appear at the base, to about 10 cm. Leave the old stems on all winter: they protect the crown from frost, the seed heads feed finches, and they drop the seed that gives you replacement plants. Do not cut it down in autumn.
Is trailing verbena an annual or a perennial?
Trailing bedding verbena is a tender perennial that is grown as an annual in the UK, because frost kills it. To keep a variety, take tip cuttings in August or September and overwinter them frost-free on a bright windowsill or in a heated greenhouse. A few, such as 'Homestead Purple', survive mild winters outdoors in well-drained soil.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.
- How to grow verbenaRHS
- How to grow Verbena bonariensisBBC Gardeners' World