Verbena

26-08-2018

Tips and ideas

Verbena, care and cultivation of which is not particularly difficult, is a herbaceous plant, but can sometimes be represented by a small shrub. In the south, it grows as a perennial crop, and in northern latitudes and the middle belt of verbena - an annual plant. This is due to the fact that it does not tolerate frosts and can calmly winter, only in the conditions of a warm southern winter.

Many gardeners proudly adorn the beautiful verbena in flowerbeds, planting this flower does not require any special knowledge and can grow it for everyone.

Depending on the variety, verbena stems can be creeping or erect, covered with a fine down or bare. The leaves are small, elongated oval, pubescent with hairs, with jagged edges. Petals of flowers are very diverse in color, from white to red and scarlet. The small flowers of vervaina resemble a small corolla in shape, are collected into inflorescences and have a rather long flowering period. With the timely removal of wilted buds, they are able to bloom until the frost.

Cultivation of vervain is possible both on flower groups in flowerbeds, as well as in separate boxes and pots.

The plant has two main methods of reproduction: cuttings and seeds. Bush varieties of vervain can also be grown by dividing the bush.

Seed planting

Seeds are the most common method of cultivation, especially in areas where the plant is cultivated as an annual.

Although not verbena whimsical, growing from seeds of an adult plant has its own subtleties:

so that the verbena blooms early in the garden, it is planted in advance in March-April for seedlings;
seeds do not require pre-sowing preparation, are sown on the surface of the soil and are not buried in the soil;
Vervain root system is highly developed, therefore it is recommended to plant it immediately in separate cups;
The containers are covered with a film or glass and kept for several days in a warm place until the seeds swell and begin to germinate;
after seed germination, tara with seedlings is removed to a cooler place;
at the beginning of the third week, after germination, the seedlings are removed from the film;
as soon as a pair of true leaves appear, the seedlings swoop and then feed the plant with complex fertilizers;
watering young sprouts is done very carefully, since excess moisture is destructive for them;
disembarking in open ground is carried out after persistent warm weather has been established and the threat of frost has passed.

Reproduction by cuttings

Growing verbena cuttings requires advance preparation of planting material. In the autumn, before the frosts, the bushes of the plant are dug together with a sufficiently large lump of earth and placed for the winter in a cool place where the temperature will not be above 10ºС.

The cuttings are usually carried out in early spring, and the tips of the shoots with 4-6 pairs of true leaves are ideal for planting. The cut is processed with crushed coal, the lower leaves are removed, leaving only a few leaves on top.

For rooting cuttings use sand and peat mixture, in which shoots are placed to the level where the lower pair of cut leaves. The container with the planted shoot is covered with a film, and after 3-4 weeks a developed root system is formed in the cutting.

Verbena from cuttings (video)

Care rules

Care verbena is not anything complicated, the basic rule when it is landed in open ground is good lighting area. Verbena easily tolerates drought, scorching sun and a slight frost down to -3ºС. But it will not actively bloom in the shade. The composition of the soil, this plant is also not very demanding, grows well on any permeable and friable areas of land.

Verbena practically does not suffer from any diseases and is not subject to attacks of garden pests, the main thing is not to plant it too thickly.

Verbena flowers require weeding from weeds only the first time, as the bushes of this plant grow very quickly, taking up all the free space. Frequent loosening of the soil is not required, the only exception is a very hot summer when there is a high probability that a dense crust will form on the soil surface.

During active growth and flowering verbena needs regular watering. However, it transfers the excess moisture poorly, so the necessary drainage must be provided before planting. In the second half of summer, the number of water procedures is reduced. Complex fertilizers will be ideal as top dressing. You can make and organic dressing, but not more than once per season, otherwise the plant will respond to them with the active development of greenery and short flowering.

Verbena is considered an ideal garden plant. To grow it from seed or by grafting is not difficult, and even after planting in open ground, these flowers do not cause much trouble.