Verbena bonariensis seed

LATIN NAME: Verbena bonariensis

COMMON NAME: Purpletop Vervain

The purpletop vervain is the tall, see-through one of the border, and the wiry stems carry the flat-topped clusters of the tiny, violet-purple flowers above the low plants. The tall, upright, open, short-lived perennial plant carries the slender, wiry, branching stems with the small, narrow leaves and the small, flat-topped clusters of the many tiny, violet-purple flowers through the long summer, one of the fine, airy sights of the border. The plant is a fine, generous presence of the middle of the border and the meadow garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The purpletop vervain is a fine, airy subject of the plant science, and the flat-topped clusters keep showing up in the work on the prairie perennials. The way the wiry stems flower through the long season has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the pollinator perennials, the prairie plants and the members of the verbena family. The slender stems and the open, see-through habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the purpletop vervain is a regular subject of the work on the airy border perennials of the warm world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The purpletop vervain is a fine, generous plant of the middle of the border and the meadow garden. The small, flat-topped clusters of the tiny, violet-purple flowers open through the long summer, one of the great butterfly and bee plants of the border, and the tall, wiry stems rise above the low plants in the fine, see-through drifts. The plant stands the heat and the dry ground with the ease, and it is one of the fine choices for the prairie garden, the pollinator border and the naturalistic planting of the warm garden. It has been written up in the horticultural and the ecological papers for the violet clusters and the butterfly ways, and it is a fine, generous plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

The purpletop vervain is one of the great butterfly plants of the warm border, and the violet clusters ride the tall, wiry stems. The plant stands the heat and the dry ground with the ease.

To grow the purpletop vervain from seed, sow the small, rough seeds across the surface of a pot of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pot in a warm, bright spot and water gently. The seedlings push through within a couple of weeks and grow on tall. With the sun, the warmth and the well-drained ground, the violet clusters will rise through the long summer.

This variety flowers from July to September. The flowers are lilac purple on long slender stems. It will even flower in the first year from an early sowing.

This perennial that can be sown from March undercover. It germinates in 2 – 3 weeks at 18C. Pot on into individual pots when large enough to handle then harden off.