This year as an experiment I tried planting two of my verbena seedlings in large containers with cosmos etc. The verbenas are both around 6ft tall with the cosmos in hot pursuit. At the beginning of the year I had several large, well-grown seedlings in my onion bed. I dug one up and dropped it into a nearby waterbutt/dustbin. It produced a huge clump of roots in the water so I have now put the rest of the seedlings in with it until I get around to planting them in a flowerbed. I for some reason thought they would probably rot and die. That they needed soil to grow but it seems not necessarily so. You learn something new every day in gardening. I also love bonariensis as a height, texture, see through plant to grow amongst other plants in borders. I am never short of a supply of plants as they self sow everywhere.
In the street plot the verbena bon is doing well and self seeding into the sandy soil all over and the pavement, the road, the brick work - everywhere. I just dug out 20 plants to pot up and give away.
They are a bit of a pain in this spot. A narrow bed; the stems tend to bend and lean into the rd and into the pavement. The height is good but going only for Lollipop would probably have been a better plan for this spot. I didn’t know at the start that that cultivar existed.
It’s been a really interesting to see the plants that love and thrive in sandy soil and don’t really want top soil at all. It’s a new field to explore for me. For low maintenance, drought tolerance and widest diversity of flora and fauna, poor soils seem best. There are few “thugs”, little amendment is needed, it’s self sustaining.
I was pleased to see the little verbena rigida return here (small purple cluster bottom right). A few years ago I planted this type in rich soil and it hit six foot. No flowers. 😆
What a lovely colour combination @Fire! I love v.b. Mine isn't self-seeding anywhere yet though. It should - I have light sandy soil. It went everywhere in my last garden, that was clay, and lives on in my sister's garden - also clay, after I gave her some of mine.
There's another Verbena worth considering, V. officinalis var. grandiflora "Bampton". It has dark bronze/purple leaves and fine dark stems with almost violet flowers. It can grow up to 1m, and seems to keep a neat habit without leaning! I've not grown it before but have V. bonariensis nearby, just in case! Seen here in the foreground, with lavender and the bases of some V. bonariensis:
It might take a few years for the self seeding to get going. The pavement plot gets relative few molluscs because of where it is, I suppose. My theory is that lots of people’s plants self seed but that slugs etc eat the seedlings.
My plot is in full sun all year which it probably also likes. I’m hoping Californian poppies will blanket the are too. We have lovely toffee coloured ones on the spot just coming out.
I have potted up at least ten V Bampton's for our local garden club. They seed everywhere just like V Bon. The hotter the site with a little moisture the bigger they get. My neighbour has one in a raised bed 4ft by 4ft. @Fire Loved the photo, thank you for sharing your thoughts on drought tolerant plants I do agree they are more low maintenance don't need feeding and you get plenty of seedlings.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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At the beginning of the year I had several large, well-grown seedlings in my onion bed. I dug one up and dropped it into a nearby waterbutt/dustbin. It produced a huge clump of roots in the water so I have now put the rest of the seedlings in with it until I get around to planting them in a flowerbed. I for some reason thought they would probably rot and die. That they needed soil to grow but it seems not necessarily so. You learn something new every day in gardening.
I also love bonariensis as a height, texture, see through plant to grow amongst other plants in borders. I am never short of a supply of plants as they self sow everywhere.
@Fire Loved the photo, thank you for sharing your thoughts on drought tolerant plants I do agree they are more low maintenance don't need feeding and you get plenty of seedlings.