I was trying to get some V. bonariensis going in the little crack between the pavement and my garden wall, they were coming along nicely until someone came along and sprayed off the back of the pavement with weedkiller.
Yes I do like V. Bampton, may have to give it a go. I did have some V. hastata but it was a bit wimpy and ended up being accidentally weeded out.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
I was trying to get some V. bonariensis going in the little crack between the pavement and my garden wall, they were coming along nicely until someone came along and sprayed off the back of the pavement with weedkiller.
Beware the 'jobs-worths' - they're always hiding just around the corner, waiting to come and make things all nice & tidy
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
@JennyJ I tried to plant them once in a free draining south facing garden and they hardly grew. My soil is more retentive and I do think they like just a little moisture.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
The pavement bed with V bin. is a dry garden. Mostly pure sand. Never watered unless we are getting an added plant established. The bons happily grow in the pavement, so I think they are real dry garden/ zero water plants. (Although they can grow elsewhere).
Our local council happen to love pavement planting so they seem to steer clear of spraying anything by accident. I have grown plants In the tree bed outside my house for the last eight years. I would say that if you are growing anything in an unexpected public place, just put up a small sign noting the plan so nothing gets sprayed by mistake.
I think the more you try to encourage Verbenas the less they like it, they seem to have a mind of their own and grow where they want to grow! @Loxley I have six plants of V Hastata growing within a few feet of each other. All were purchased at the same time as plug plants and they all grew away really well. Now I have two that are about three feet high and the rest are about a foot tall. No idea why, I understand that they will set seed but not as freely as other verbenas.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I am really enjoying what is coming up in our local pavement cracks this year - none of which I could get to grow there if I tried for years. Snap dragons everywhere, a whole drive of sprouting lobelia, loads of opium poppies. Little gems.
I think our council tend to spray once a year around Sept, which does give plants a chance to flower and self seed.
During austerity budgets, after the crash, our council didn’t spray streets at all for three years and our neighbourhoods did start to look like Beirut with ash trees and sycamores growing in the asphalt and cracking pavements. Maybe autumn spraying is a good compromise.
@JennyJ I tried to plant them once in a free draining south facing garden and they hardly grew. My soil is more retentive and I do think they like just a little moisture.
V. Bampton actually does very well here, and produces lots of offspring, mostly in the driest places like edges of paths and gaps between paving slabs. It stays relatively compact, very bushy, and doesn't flop. I like it a lot. The RHS website says it's 0.5 to 1 m so mine are at about the bottom end of the range.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I have free draining sandy soil here too @JennyJ, so I hope my V. Bampton stays at the bottom end of the range too! I think it needs other perennials nearby for contrast but it has surpassed my expectations so far!
Hi @JennyJ and @Plantminded I have seen V Bampton at 1 metre tall. It was growing in a gravel bed in a sunny garden I realised it was a verbena but hadn't seen it before so have always been aware of how big it could get from the start. They don't grow so big with me, they are various heights and widths which is fine.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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Yes I do like V. Bampton, may have to give it a go. I did have some V. hastata but it was a bit wimpy and ended up being accidentally weeded out.
Beware the 'jobs-worths' - they're always hiding just around the corner, waiting to come and make things all nice & tidy
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
@Loxley I have six plants of V Hastata growing within a few feet of each other. All were purchased at the same time as plug plants and they all grew away really well. Now I have two that are about three feet high and the rest are about a foot tall. No idea why, I understand that they will set seed but not as freely as other verbenas.
I think our council tend to spray once a year around Sept, which does give plants a chance to flower and self seed.
During austerity budgets, after the crash, our council didn’t spray streets at all for three years and our neighbourhoods did start to look like Beirut with ash trees and sycamores growing in the asphalt and cracking pavements. Maybe autumn spraying is a good compromise.