Consider Verbena

Verbena is one of the easiest, low-maintenance plants that could be placed in the garden. Verbena is a drought-tolerant, heat loving and colorful plant that provides color from spring until frost.  

Growing Problems

Verbenas have to be planted with plenty of space around them for good air circulation to prevent powdery mildew. The soil must have good drainage and must not stay moist for long periods of time.

Varieties to Consider

• Verbena 'Empress Flair Peach' 'Empress Flair Peach' is a salmon-colored verbena from the HGTV Plant Collection that has a semi-mounding habit. Use in window boxes, at the edge of a boarder, or let it creep around an accent boulder.  'Empress Flair Peach' is an annual for most of the country, but the colorful performance throughout the summer makes this verbena worth all the effort. 

• Verbena 'Tapien Blue Violet’ Tapien 'Blue Violet’ is a dense, low-growing violet-colored verbena. It has very lacy textured foliage and covers the ground in tiny blooms. It is hardy in zones 9 to 11, but it survived 2011’s mild winter in the HGTV Knoxville garden at zone 7. Any purple flowering plant pairs great with something bright. Bright barberry or chartreuse sweet potato make excellent plant combinations for a purple verbena. 

• Verbena bonariensis - Verbena on a Stick This verbena is a perennial for zones 6 through 10. This verbena grows 3 to 5 feet tall and does not grow as dense which makes it less prone to powdery mildew. Verbena on a stick is great for flower arrangements, and hummingbirds love it!