Verbena Species, Blue Vervain, Swamp Verbena, Wild Hyssop
Verbena hastata
| Family: | Verbenaceae (ver-be-NAY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Verbena (ver-BEE-nuh) (Info) |
| Species: | hastata (hass-TAH-tuh) (Info) |
| Synonym: | Verbena paniculata |
| Synonym: | Verbena pinnatifida |
Category:
Perennials
Water Requirements:
Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings
Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade
Foliage:
Herbaceous
Foliage Color:
Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Spacing:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)
USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Where to Grow:
Danger:
Bloom Color:
Medium Purple
White/Near White
Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
Seed Collecting:
Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Birmingham, Alabama
Menlo Park, California
Cordele, Georgia
Anna, Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Flora, Indiana
Greenville, Indiana
Wabash, Indiana
Iowa City, Iowa
Brookville, Kansas
Benton, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Taylorsville, Kentucky
Ellicott City, Maryland
Pinconning, Michigan
Albertville, Minnesota
Isle, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Cole Camp, Missouri
O Fallon, Missouri
Dover, New Hampshire
Bayville, New Jersey
Frenchtown, New Jersey
Newfield, New York
Browns Summit, North Carolina
Bowling Green, Ohio
Loveland, Ohio
Honey Brook, Pennsylvania
Ashland City, Tennessee
Leesburg, Virginia
Kalama, Washington
Falling Waters, West Virginia
Neenah, Wisconsin
Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Porterfield, Wisconsin
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Jul 12, 2020, BensonGardens from Saint Paul, MN wrote: So I used to think this plant was pretty but because the flowers were so small i wasn't excited about it. However my opinion has changed. It is quite tall and and has a very airy appearance. I have several plants of Verbena hastata punctuating a bed of tall golden trumpet lilies and the bright purple/blue blossoms really set off the gold lily flowers as they float gracefully over the garden bed. Sometimes less is more. Also these flowers are very popular with pollinators and have a slow sequence of bloom so they flower for quite an extended time. |
| Positive | On Aug 9, 2015, Rickwebb from Downingtown, PA wrote: This is a pretty native perennial that I see growing wild in meadows in se PA and remember in central WI. I see it growing as individual plants rather than in masses.It is sold by native plant nurseries for naturalistic landscapes. I don't know of this fine plant from conventional nurseries. |
| Positive | On Aug 10, 2008, dianne99 from Brookville, KS (Zone 5b) wrote: I have this wild all over my property, but have not been here for a dry year yet so cannot speak for it's performance then, and it has put on an impressive display all season, even in a recently graded area of deep clay-y sand along with false sunflowers and 2 other varieties of yellow flowers I cannot ID...nature designed this planting and it is stunning. I also use it in wildflower bouquets (harvesting very lightly) and it lasts over a week with the parts of the flower that open inside the house a lovely lighter shade of lavender for a lovely two-toned miniature bottle-brush effect. |
| Positive | On Apr 17, 2008, Malus2006 from Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4a) wrote: I have a few plants in my garden - grows very well - in the wild they are very common, along with another species, produces the most purple flowers on roadsides in Eastern United States in mid Summer. |
| Positive | On Dec 28, 2006, bluespiral from (Zone 7a) wrote: Once DH and I were walking along a trail high above a low-lying wetland that was awash in vivid, dark lavender-purple, and for a moment, it was as if I was inside a picture of a field of lavender in Provence, France in one of my gardening books. Such is the effect of a wide plain filled with blue vervain from a distance - beautiful and awesome. Up close, there must have been a couple dozen kinds of other plants down there with it, but all has now been trounced by the very invasive Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed). |
| Neutral | On Jul 31, 2006, bibliodhp from Whitefield, NH wrote: Begins to bloom late July in Coös County, NH alongside of damp rural roads. |
| Positive | On Aug 10, 2005, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote: Blooming in late summer/early fall here in west KY, Blue Vervain graces the roadsides and damp meadows with a long blooming period. The tall spikes have the appearance of a candleabra with tiny blue 'flames. |
| Neutral | On Nov 2, 2001, poppysue from Westbrook, ME (Zone 5a) wrote: This verbena grows into a large clump 4-5 feet tall. It has stiff erect stems, lance shapes foliage and a spiky candelabrum of flowers. The flowers may not be as large as the garden varieties of verbena but they are abundant and bloom for a very long time during the summer months. The tiny tubular shaped blossoms grow in whorls up the pencil shaped spikes and are a treat for bees and butterflies. |
