What are these and what should I do with them?

Posts

• B3 Posts: 27,505

  November 2020

  It's verbena bonarensis. You can leave the seed heads for the birds or trim it back to just above the lowest green shoot. If there are no shoots, leave a few inches.

  In London. Keen but lazy.

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• steve390 Posts: 24

  November 2020

  Thanks. I will leave them for the birds but once they're gone I'll trim them back as several of them are bent or snapped and I can't see them regaining their original upright growth without being trimmed back, can you?

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  November 2020

  I would leave them for now ... in the spring when you see new shoots beginning then cut the old stems back to about 3 shoots from the base you’ll get loads of strong new growth. 

  
  

  If you leave the seedheads on over the winter, not only will they feed the birds but you should get some lovely new selfsown seedlings that you can transplant wherever you want. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• steve390 Posts: 24

  November 2020

  Thanks! Good advice and I'll leave them until the spring.

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• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  November 2020

  You could transplant them to a better site where they get support from other plants.
  They get battered here by weather all the time, so I have to give them physical supports or have them behind other, fairly tall plants and shrubs. 
  If you're in a wet, cold area like I am, they don't self seed readily, but you can take cuttings in spring and summer by using the stuff you cut off. It gives good back up. 

  It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
  
  
  
  I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...

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