Garden verbena

Verbena × hybrida

In other languages: Verbena (Nederlands) · Verveine hybride (Français)

Garden verbena is a summer bedding plant bred from South American species. It grows trailing to semi-upright, 20–30 cm tall and up to 40 cm wide. From June to October it carries flat, rounded heads of small flowers in red, pink, purple, blue or white, often with a white eye. Bees and butterflies love it. It enjoys sun and warmth and copes with a dry spell better than many other bedding plants, which makes it ideal for containers, hanging baskets and sunny edges.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
any pH
Hardiness
down to 0 °C
protect in harsh winters
Size
0.3 m
tall, 0.4 m wide
Flowering
June–October

Key facts
Pruning months	July–August
Height	0.3 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees and butterflies
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	June–October

Identify

Garden verbena: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Trailing to semi-upright, 20–30 cm tall and up to 40 cm wide.
Stem: Square and roughly hairy.
Leaves: Opposite, oblong, coarsely toothed and rough to the touch.
Flower: Small tubular flowers with five lobes, gathered in flat, rounded heads of 5–8 cm.
Colour: Red, pink, salmon, purple, blue and white, often with a white eye.

Flowering: June–October · Sowing: February–March · Plants: May–June · Pruning: July–August

In your garden

Why grow it?

Flowers from June to October if you remove the spent heads.
Attracts bees and butterflies, even on a balcony or patio.
Copes with sun, heat and some drought better than many other bedding plants.
Trailing forms cover a sunny edge or spill nicely from a container.
Colourful flower heads, often with a white eye, in red, pink, purple, blue and white.

Garden verbena: where does it grow best?

Full sun: the more sun, the better it flowers.
Free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky; in pots ordinary potting compost.
Rather slightly too dry than too wet: it dislikes wet feet.
An airy spot with some space around each plant helps against mildew; plant 25–30 cm apart.

Light: Sun
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Dry or normal
Size: 0.3 m tall, 0.4 m wide
Hardiness: Frost tender: plant out after the last frost (mid-May)

Goes well with

Salvia: Blue spikes beside the flat flower heads, and also a bee plant.
Zonal geranium: A classic pairing in sunny containers.
Petunia: Large trumpet flowers beside the small heads.
Million bells: Together they spill over the edge of a hanging basket.
Blue fescue: Fine blue leaves as a contrast in a sunny, dry edge.

Maintenance

Garden verbena: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

Plant out from mid-May into June, once there is no more risk of night frost.
Harden off home-sown plants for a week first: outside by day, inside at night.
Loosen the soil and mix in some compost; in pots use potting compost and a pot with a drainage hole.
Set the plants at the same depth as in their pots, 25–30 cm apart, and firm in.
Water in at once; after that only in dry spells, at the base.

Care

Watering: In dry spells water at the base, ideally in the morning. A plant that dries out gets mildew more easily.
Feeding: In pots a flowering-plant feed every two weeks from June to August; in the ground, compost at planting is enough.
Deadheading: Cut off spent heads just above a pair of leaves, and it will keep making new buds.
Spacing: Do not plant too closely: airy plants stay healthier.

Tip: In the ground, give one thorough soaking rather than a little water every day: it roots more deeply and copes better with a dry summer.

Garden verbena: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August.

When: Remove spent flower heads all summer. In July–August you can shorten stems that are too long or bare.

How:

Cut off spent heads just above the next pair of leaves.
Shorten long, bare stems by a third to a half; the plant will branch again.
After trimming, water and give a little flowering-plant feed.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: Sow indoors in February–March at 20–25 °C. Cover the seed lightly and keep the compost moist but not wet. Germination can be slow and erratic.
Cuttings: In late August: tip cuttings of 5–8 cm from non-flowering shoots in moist cutting compost. Overwinter the rooted cuttings in a bright, frost-free place.

Garden verbena: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 0 °C: protect in harsh winters.

Not hardy: it dies in frost.
Treat it as an annual and sow or buy new plants each year.
Keep a favourite colour through cuttings, overwintered bright and frost-free at 5–10 °C.

Diseases and pests

Powdery mildew: A white film on the leaves, especially when the plant is dry. Water at the base in good time and remove affected leaves.
Aphids: On young shoots and flower buds. Spray them off with water; ladybirds help.
Red spider mite: Fine yellow speckling and webbing in hot, dry summers. Spray the leaves with water.
Root rot: On wet soil or in a pot without drainage. Plant in free-draining soil and do not overwater.

Through the year

February: Sow indoors at 20–25 °C.
March: Keep sowing. Prick out seedlings.
April: Grow young plants on in a light, cool place.
May: After mid-May, harden off and plant out in full sun.
June: Flowering starts. Remove spent heads.
July: Shorten long stems. Water in dry spells.
August: Take cuttings to overwinter. Feed plants in pots.
September: Flowering continues. Remove spent heads.
October: Last flowers. Clear after the first frost.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.
Butterflies: Nectar for butterflies.

You and this species

Did you know?

It is related to our native vervain (Verbena officinalis), an inconspicuous plant of roadsides with tiny lilac flowers.
Verbenas have square stems, like mint and sage, but they belong to a family of their own.
In Latin, ‘verbena’ originally meant the sacred boughs used in ceremonies.

Garden plants · All species