Garden verbenas are hybrid plants in the Verbenaceae family generally grown as annuals. Several series of these hybrids have been developed including Obsession Twister series, Tuscany series, Superbena® series and Obsession Cascade series. These plants can be mounding, trailing or upright in form. Plant in amended well-drained garden soil or a potting mix if using containers. Provide full sun for best flowering. They are fairly drought-tolerant once established. Deer will usually not browse the plants. Garden verbenas come in a wide range of flower colors and will bloom all season if flowers are deadheaded. The 3-inch wide clusters consist of many small star-shaped flowers. Use these plants in the garden border, in rock gardens, as a ground cover, in hanging baskets or window boxes. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Some cultivars have shown good resistance to abiotic disorder and fair resistance to phytophthora and pythium root rot. Some cultivars have good mildew resistance. Overwatering can cause root rot. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 6 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Mounding; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Oblong
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2-4 inch oblong toothed leaves are gray-green to dark green with a rough texture. Most are deeply lobed and some have a fine texture.
Flower color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Pink; Red/Burgundy; Variegated; White
Flower value
Long-lasting; Showy
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small five-petaled flowers in rounded 3-inch clusters on the end of branches from late spring to fall. Inflorescence is a congested spike in flower, sessile, and flat-topped
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Erect to decumbent green stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Attracts
Hummingbirds; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets; Patio; Small Space; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot in the Landscape; Phytophthora Blight and Root Rot on Annuals and Herbaceous Perennials; Southern Bacterial Wilt on Herbaceous Ornamental Plants
Resistant to
Deer
Particularly resistant to
Some cultivars have shown good resistance to abiotic disorder.