How & When To Sow Verbena Bonariensis

Posts

• AnniD Posts: 12,585

  January 2022

  I've never chilled the seeds first Ginny 
  I usually sow around early March in a heated propagator (l'm in the South West).
  I find that they are pretty tough young plants, the main thing to watch out for is damping off when they have just germinated. 
  https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/damping-off
  They have flowered the same year from an early sowing, and in my personal experience early March is fine.

  0
• Pete.8 Posts: 11,340

  January 2022

  I agree with @AnniD suggestions re.sowing.
  I bought a single plant about 10 years ago and I now have plenty of them dotted all over my garden.
  They self-seed a lot and it's just a case of digging up the babies when they appear in late Spring and transplanting them to where you want them - great plants that require no attention once settled
  

  
  Billericay - Essex
  
  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
  Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

  4
• Ginny Barker Posts: 25

  January 2022

  AnniD said:

  I've never chilled the seeds first Ginny 
  I usually sow around early March in a heated propagator (l'm in the South West).
  I find that they are pretty tough young plants, the main thing to watch out for is damping off when they have just germinated. 
  https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/damping-off
  They have flowered the same year from an early sowing, and in my personal experience early March is fin
  

  Thanks very much to you both. That's really helpful. I will have a go in March and use the heat mat. I was slightly confused by seed packet saying sow from Jan but that just felt too early. 

  1
• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  January 2022

  If I sow from seed, I just wait until it's warm enough for them to grow on well - so usually around May.
  They don't readily self seed here, so I take cuttings if I want more plants, and it's back up if the main plants don't make it through winter. 
  It will depend on your location and climate, as with so many plants. They certainly don't need cold stratification. 

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

  1
• Ginny Barker Posts: 25

  January 2022

  Thanks Fairygirl. I imagine our climates are pretty similar so will leave the sowing until Spring 😊

  0
• Redwing Posts: 1,511

  January 2022

  Pete.8 said:

  I agree with @AnniD suggestions re.sowing.
  I bought a single plant about 10 years ago and I now have plenty of them dotted all over my garden.
  They self-seed a lot and it's just a case of digging up the babies when they appear in late Spring and transplanting them to where you want them - great plants that require no attention once settled
  

  That's my experience too.

  Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.

  1
• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  January 2022

  @Ginny Barker - it's fine if you have somewhere warm enough to put them after they all germinate and need potting on. I don't have a heated greenhouse, and I'd need that if I sowed earlier.
  A few pots on a windowsill is fine, but I wouldn't have enough of those either once I did all the other seeds   

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

  1
• LunarSea Posts: 1,923

  January 2022

  I produced loads of plants by taking cuttings from a single nursery-grown plant. They root so easily simply by placing the cuttings in a glass of water.

  Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. 
  
  I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
  

  2