Make your garden a bloom of delight with verbena.
- Verbenas are a group of 250 species of plants that flower, and are either grown as annuals or perennials depending on the location and species.
- Verbenas are from the family Verbenaceae, the family of vervains, that are mostly flowering plants found in tropical areas.
- A ‘verbena’ plant is also known by the common name ‘vervain’.
- Verbenas originate mostly from North and South America, as well as from Europe, and they tend to be mainly found in tropical and subtropical habitats.
- Verbenas have flowers coloured pink, red, blue, purple or white that consist of five petals, that generally grow in clusters on spikes.
- Verbenas are mainly grown for decorative purposes, and they grow best in complete sunlight.
- Verbenas have been used historically as an ingredient for medicinal purposes, such as herbal tea; while oil can also be extracted from the plant.
- Verbenas generally have long flowering periods, and they can be found flowering in all months, with the exception of winter.
- Verbenas grow to be roughly 0.3 to 0.9 metres (1 to 3 feet) in height, and they usually have a spreading habit, making them suitable for hanging baskets.
- The leaves of verbenas often have a light to heavy covering of hair, while the fruit splits into four parts, each containing one seed.
Bibliography:
Genus Verbena, PlantNET, n.d, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Verbena
Plant Profile: Verbena, 2014, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866736.htm
Verbena, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena
Verbena, 2015, Better Homes & Gardens, http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/verbena/
