Description of the verbena plant, advice on growing in the open field, how to carry out reproduction, possible difficulties in cultivation and ways to solve them, note the florist, species.
Verbena is a plant belonging to the Verbenaceae family. Most of the species in nature are found in the territory stretching from European lands to the Far East and Central Asia. In the New World, they are common from Canada to Chilean areas. According to The Plant List, the genus has up to 200 varieties, although only 15 species are applicable in floriculture.
| Family name | Verbena |
| Life cycle | Perennial or annual |
| Growth features | Herbaceous or semi-shrub |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (cuttings) |
| Landing period in open ground | Cuttings with developed roots are planted in May-June |
| Substrate | Any soil, better than loam |
| Illumination | As a sunny place and in the shade |
| Moisture indicators | Water in moderation, but drainage is recommended |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | Up to 1 m |
| Color of flowers | Snow white, yellow, bright and dark red, salmon blue or dark blue |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Paniculate or corymbose |
| Flowering time | June-September |
| Decorative time | Spring-autumn |
| Place of application | Flowerbeds, flower beds, ridges, balconies landscaping, for cutting |
| USDA zone | 4–9 |
The plant bears its name thanks to the Latin word "verbum", meaning "word". Another version says that this was the name of a branch with foliage or "vine", "sacred branch". Among the people you can hear how this representative of the flora is called holy grass, pigeon grass, iron ore, gruel, baskets or porosh. However, there are many more synonyms, since since ancient times it was believed that vervain brings good luck and prosperity. In addition, she served as a symbol of love and the manifestation of good feelings.
All varieties of verbena are annuals or perennials, taking on a herbaceous or semi-shrub form. Their height does not exceed 1 meter. The stem of verbena is upright, with four edges, is spread out or can spread along the surface of the ground, the covering of the stems is pubescent. Foliage grows on branches in opposite order, leaf plates are placed alternately or are collected in rare whorls. The shape of the leaves is elongated-oval, spongy or triangular, they are painted in a dark emerald color, the surface is pubescent or rough, the edge is serrated. In this case, the leaf can be pinnately incised or dissected, but sometimes the leaf blade is simple.
When flowering, small buds bloom, of which the flowers reach 1, 5–2, 5 cm across. They grow sessile (devoid of pedicels), the calyx is distinguished by 5 teeth. The corolla of a funnel-shaped flower has two lips and 5 lobes. The final inflorescences with corymbose or paniculate outlines are formed from the flowers. The number of flowers in inflorescences can vary between 30-50 units. Sometimes inflorescences take the form of spikelets or brushes, very rarely form in the leaf sinuses. The color of the petals in verbena flowers is very diverse, they take on snow-white, yellow, bright and dark red, salmon color, but there are varieties with a blue or dark blue color scheme of flowers. Usually the entire corolla is of the same shade, but there are species with a whitish or creamy center. The flowering process stretches from early summer to September. Verbena decorates flower beds until the very first frost.
After pollination, the fruits ripen, which are a prefabricated nut with a light brown or greenish tint. When fully ripe, it is divided into parts. 1 gram can contain up to 300 seeds.
It is usually customary to plant verbena in the garden in flower beds or decorate flower beds with it. The plant is quite unpretentious and therefore fell in love with flower growers. Even a novice flora lover can cope with the cultivation. If you remove dead buds in time, then the flowering period is extended. In the middle lane or in areas with colder climates, pigeon grass can be grown as an annual, since it will not be able to withstand frost and will die. Wintering takes place normally only in the southern regions, where winters are mild. Many varieties can be obtained by sowing seeds.
Verbena: tips for growing outdoors, planting and care
- Landing place can be very sunny or shaded. However, only in direct sunlight will verbena bloom brightly and for a long time. The plant is not afraid of sunburn due to pubescence on the leaves.
- Priming. In this regard, iron ore is completely unpretentious and can grow on any soil. However, it is preferred that it is well drained and moisture permeable. You can use loam, or add river sand to the garden soil.
- Landing. Since the soil for verbena can be any, it is worth paying attention to drainage. When digging a hole, it is important that a layer of crushed stone, broken brick or expanded clay is laid on its bottom. A little earth is poured on it and a plant is placed, the hole is sprinkled to the top with soil and it is compacted a little, squeezing it around. Watering in progress. So that the bushes do not thicken each other, the seedlings are placed at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other.
- Watering for verbena need a regular one, especially when the period of active vegetation and flowering begins. Gradually, moisture begins to decrease, approaching the autumn days. After watering or rains, it is necessary to loosen the soil next to the verbena bushes and weed the weeds. To retain moisture in the soil, it is mulched with sawdust.
- Fertilizers for verbena you need complex ones, you can use Kemiru-Universal. Pigeon grass also shows good growth when using organic matter, but within reasonable limits. Such means are compost or rotted manure. For the entire season, organic preparations are applied once, since with an excess, the green mass will build up, and few flowers will be laid.
Features of the reproduction of verbena
You can get new bushes of pigeon grass using seeds or rooting cuttings. Since the plant is unpretentious, it is possible to sow seed material directly into the ground, while pre-sowing preparation is not needed for them. You can also grow seedlings from verbena seeds. However, it is important, even in this easy matter, to adhere to some rules:
- Sowing in open ground is carried out only if the ground is well warmed up and there is no danger of return frosts (late May or early June). Plants cannot withstand temperature drops below -3 degrees, seedlings may freeze out.
- If you want to get plants at an earlier date, you need to sow seeds in a greenhouse or indoors in seedling boxes. The sowing period is 20-30 days before the planned planting of seedlings in open ground, the optimal period will be March-April.
- The seeds are carefully distributed over the soil surface in the seedling box; it is not recommended to bury them in the ground. If the temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius, then the sprouts can be seen a few days after the moment of sowing. Then you need to transfer the container with the seedlings to a cool place, since excessive heat can harm the young verbena.
- Watering is carried out very carefully, since the flooding of the soil will negatively affect the verbena seedlings. After 10-15 days, the seedling box will be filled with grown plants.
- When a pair of real leaves unfold on the seedlings, they can be dived into separate cups made of peat, then the subsequent planting in the flowerbed will be easier.
Cutting is not an easy procedure and can be handled by a florist who already has some skills. Before the autumn frosts come, it is recommended to dig up a bush of pigeon grass without destroying the earthen lump and transfer it to a cool room. This can be a basement, balcony, garage, where the heat indicators will not rise above 10 degrees. With the arrival of spring, blanks for grafting can be cut from verbena bushes. Each branch should have 5-6 pairs of leaves. Cutting is carried out with a well-sharpened knife. Sections need to be treated with coal powder (you can take pharmacy activated carbon) or a root formation stimulant (for example, Heteroauxin). The lower foliage is removed from the cutting, a couple of leaves at the top must be left.
The cuttings are planted in pots filled with a peat-sand mixture, but they are not deeply buried, trying to adhere to the level where the leaves were cut. From above, the cuttings are covered with plastic wrap or placed under a glass jar. Maintenance will consist of regular airing and watering so that the soil is not flooded and sour. The root system of verbena seedlings is formed quickly, practically in a month. After the constant warmth comes, you can plant the seedlings in a prepared place in the open ground.
Possible difficulties in cultivating verbena and ways to solve them
Usually, pests that infect a plant when planted in open ground are aphids and whiteflies. The first harmful insect is visible due to the fact that small green bugs appear on the stems and foliage in large numbers (in real colonies). When the second appears, small whitish midges twine over the verbena bushes, and all the leaves on the back are covered with white dots. Any of these insects suck vital juices from the stems and leaves, then the leaves fly around, and the bush itself begins to wither.
To combat such troubles, it is recommended to periodically inspect the plantings of pigeon grass. If signs of harmful insects are detected, spraying with insecticidal preparations is performed. Such, for example, are Fitoverm, Aktellik or Aktara. Even for prevention, you can periodically spray the plantings.
If the color on the verbena leaves began to fade, and in the area of the veins, on the contrary, it becomes saturated green, then you can feed the bushes with iron-containing preparations, for example, "Mister Color Antichlorosis".
A note to the flower grower about verbena
In floriculture, hybrid forms and cultivars of verbena are mainly used. Especially popular are those that have American roots, are distinguished by the duration of flowering, a variety of colors of inflorescences and a one-year life cycle.
For the manufacture of medicines, a variety of medicinal verbena (Verbena officinalis) is used. Such funds have the property of stimulating appetite and stimulating the gag reflex. But that's not all! The root of this plant has been successfully used for pickling cucumbers as it gives them a special smell. The plant is an excellent honey plant. Since ancient times, verbena has been used because of the scent of flowers and foliage, which could relieve fatigue and help to raise the mood.
Verbena was not in vain considered a symbol of love, even the priests of the Celts brewed a drink from it, which served as a guard against evil spirits and helped enemies to reconcile. Dove grass is considered a symbol of the goddess of love and the planet Venus. The plant can not only help in love affairs, but also eliminate manifestations of anger, extinguish negative emotions.
Verbena bushes were hung on the doors of the dwelling and served to cleanse the house. In ancient times, it was believed that if you rub the skin with iron ore leaves, then any wish you made can come true.
When using the verbena root, healers prepared a medicine that helps with scrofula and abscesses, relieved headaches and liver diseases. Verbena oil contains both glycosides and flavonoids. The foliage of medicinal verbena is rich in vitamin C.
Types of verbena flower
Verbena officinalis (Verbena officinalis)
The native habitat in nature is the Northern Hemisphere, as well as the African and Australian continents. The plant has a long-term life cycle, its shoots reach a height of 30–60 cm. The stem grows straight, begins to branch at the top, has 4 edges, its surface is covered with pressed hairs. The foliage on the shoots is opposite, has short petioles.
The leaf plates are petiolate in the lower part, with pinnately-separate outlines; large teeth with blunt tops are set along the edge. The leaves in the middle part of the stem are tripartite, while their lobes are crenate-incised, on the edge there are also obtuse denticles (the lateral ones are inferior in size to the average). At the top of the stems, the foliage is sessile, its shape is oblong, there is notched crenellation, the apical leaves are distinguished by a solid edge. The leaf blade has ovoid-oblong outlines; towards the base it tapers like a wedge. On the upper and lower sides, the leaves are rough with a hairy coating.
Elongated inflorescences in the form of a spikelet are collected from the flowers. The upper part of them is a large, rare panicle. Inflorescences originate from the leaf axils located in the middle and upper part of the stems. Bracts with blockage at the top, their outlines are lanceolate or in the form of an egg. The calyx has a toothed shape, while its surface has a hairy pubescence, and the denticles are short and pointed. Corolla color is light purple and occasionally takes on a crimson color. The rim has five lobes and is formed in the form of a cylindrical tube. The upper lobes are always almost twice the size of the calyx. The flowering process can begin with the arrival of summer and last until mid-summer.
The fruit looks like a nut of brown or brown color, its surface is wrinkled, its shape is elongated and linear, there is a bulge on two faces. Fruits begin to ripen in August until September.
Verbena hybrid (Verbena hybrida)
The most popular variety among florists, with a height of up to 30-50 cm, but this depends on the variety. The leaf plates are rounded, characterized by a fleecy soft pubescence. The inflorescences are composed of five-petalled small flowers that take on a snow-white, purple, bright yellow, orange or cream shade.
Verbena canadensis (Verbena canadensis)
resembles the territory of the North American lands, which is reflected in the name. The plant does not differ in height, its shoots do not exceed 20 cm. The tetrahedral stem bears openwork leaf plates that grow in pairs. From the buds, bundle-shaped inflorescences are collected, which have a snow-white, purple or pinkish tint.
Verbena hard (Verbena rigida)
The bush has volumetric outlines due to the branching of the stems and leaf plates of an elongated cut shape. The surface of the leaves is hard, there are teeth on the edge. Shoots are creeping and their tops are crowned with small-sized inflorescences. The shade of flowers can vary from pale blue to deep crimson.
Verbena of Buenos Aires (Verbena bonariensis)
It is classified as a tall plant, since the stems are extended to a height of 120 cm. The leaf plates have an oblong shape with a pointed apex. The color of small flowers that gather in inflorescences is purple-pinkish.
Video about vervain:
