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Old verbena bonariensis
Morning everyone.
My friend has just moved and in the garden are three verbena bon. plants. But instead of looking like mine ie. 2 or 3 leaves at ground level and a short green shoot that will grow and flower this year, she has 3 plants that look like huge, dead shrubs. Each cluster of pale dead shoots comes from one stump in the ground. There's no sign of life but each plant has one green shoot starting about halfway up one of the dead looking branches that looks like it flowered last year but the remaining shoots are long dead (and thick!). Should we just pull the whole things out and hope they've self-seeded. I've never seen verbena bon. looking like this. Any suggestions?
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Cut them back to ground level - if the roots are still alive they will shoot. If not, you will have to hope they seeded as you say. You might have to wait a while for them to germinate though.
Do you know what, they're so easily come by as small plants for about £1.99 each that I'd remove them and replace with nice new fresh ones.
H-C
Mine look like that. I leave them standing all winter because the birds love them so much. I haven't got round to cutting them down yet, but when I do, I'll probably cut them to 2 or 3 'nodes' or so from the ground and they shoot from each junction. They make a nice sturdy airy hedge which is what I need. They are cheap and easy to come by (and self seed prolifically), as H-C says, so if you want maximum flower, probably that's the best way to go
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Verbena bonariensis is the No.1 'weed' in my garden!!!
Thanks guys. I should have taken a photo. Mine are green and I cut back to a node or ground level, these are woody and very very pale. Each pale woody shoot is about thumb thickness and at the base it's like a tree trunk. I'll let her know what you all said. Seems a shame to pull them out if they have potential but surely that potential would be showing by now?
a worn out woody plant may not be dead but it lacks potential. It's given it all away.
In the sticks near Peterborough
When I read that it made me think of me!!
I bought3 VB's a few years ago and as mp said above they seed like weeds now, and the old ones just keep going. I just pull up the ones I don't wan't and leave those I do
Last edited: 08 April 2017 16:50:15
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
me too
In the sticks near Peterborough
Any viable looking bits that you cut off (or your friend does) can be used as a cutting. Stick them in a pot of gritty compost and stick them somewhere sheltered and out of full sun. They'll root and grow away quite quickly
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks to everyone, maybe I'll suggest she gives them a chance.
I'm with you Pete8, it does have a ring of familiarity about it, especially at the end of the working week