Louisiana gardeners have long been familiar with verbenas. These generally low-growing plants produce clusters of showy flowers in a wide variety of colors. Homestead Purple verbena is considered one of the very best, and it has been selected as a Louisiana Super Plant for fall 2015.
Garden verbenas are divided into two basic categories – annual verbenas and perennial verbenas. Annual verbenas (Verbena x hybrida) are used as cool-season bedding plants grown from March to May. They produce compact plants about 6 to 10 inches tall and 12 inches wide. They come in a number of bright colors. They are short-lived and have little heat tolerance, fading quickly with the arrival of summer.
Perennial verbenas include some you may see growing in the wild along highways, such as Verbena tenuisecta and Verbena rigida. These species were introduced from South America and are widely naturalized across the Southeast. They produce showy flowers and are suitable for planting in gardens.
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