How to Grow Verbena

By: Angela Judd | March 10, 2025

Verbena easily earns a spot in any garden by checking all the boxes: it’s easy to grow, stands up to heat and drought, offers nearly year-round color, and attracts beneficial insects, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Its lovely clusters of star-shaped flowers are a standout in containers, garden beds, and in-ground areas. Ready to add verbena to your garden? Here are five tips to help you grow it successfully.

1. Try different varieties of verbena

Purpletop verbena (V. bonariesis): stiff, 4-5 foot stems with purple flower clusters; good in the back of borders; hardy in zones 7-11. — **Purpletop verbena** (*V. bonariesis*)

Not all verbenas look or act the same. Their size, color, and growth habits vary, so choose a type that fits your style and space. Many varieties can be grown as perennials in warmer climates or as annuals in cooler areas.

Purpletop verbena (V. bonariensis): Reaches 4–5 feet tall with stiff stems and purple flower clusters. Perfect for the back of borders. Hardy in zones 7–11.
Vanity verbena (V. bonariensis): A dwarf version of purpletop verbena, well-suited to smaller gardens or containers. This is an AAS (All-America Selections) Winner.
Garden verbena (V. hybrida): Mounding and trailing habit in various colors. Ideal for hanging baskets and containers. Grows 10–20 inches tall and is hardy in zones 9–11.
Rose verbena (V. canadensis): Forms a low-growing carpet of foliage, reaching 8–18 inches tall. Hardy in zones 7–9.
Purple verbena (V. rigida): A small mounding type, about 1 foot tall and wide, and spreads by rhizomes. Hardy in zones 7–10. Santos Purple Verbena (V. rigida) can be invasive, so grow it in containers if you’re concerned about spreading.

Purple verbena (V. regida): small mounding form; 1 foot tall and wide; spreads by rhizomes; hardy in zones 7-10. — **Purple verbena** (*V. regida*)

2. Purchase transplants or start verbena seeds indoors

The simplest way to grow verbena is to find a transplant online or at a local nursery. If you can’t find a transplant for a particular variety, it is also possible to plant verbena from seeds started indoors.

For the simplest start, look for verbena transplants at your local nursery or online. If you prefer a specific variety that’s hard to find, growing verbena from seed is also an option.

Starting from seed: Sow seeds indoors 8–12 weeks before you plan to transplant them. Verbena seeds prefer darkness to germinate, so cover them lightly or keep them in a dark space. They can be slow or irregular to sprout, so patience is key.
Storing seeds: Keep unused seeds in the refrigerator to help maintain viability.
Timing in warm climates: In the low desert of Arizona, for instance, start verbena seeds indoors from June–September.

The Perpetual Annual Flower Planting Calendar, available in my shop, helps you learn when to plant flowers in the low desert of Arizona and whether to plant seeds or transplants.

3. Plant verbena correctly

Verbena loves warmth, so plant when temperatures are reliably warm.
In hot climates: Plant in mid-September–November in the low desert of Arizona for best results.
Sunlight: Verbena thrives in full sun but appreciates some afternoon shade in extremely hot areas.
Soil: Choose well-draining, fertile soil. Though verbena tolerates poor soil, it grows best in soil amended with about 2 inches of compost.
Spacing: Depending on the variety, space plants 1–2 feet apart.
Soil pH: Verbena grows well in slightly acidic to alkaline soils.

Verbena grows best with plenty of sunshine, a little neglect (not too much water), and room to spread.

4. Care for verbena as it grows

Once established, verbena is fairly low-maintenance and prefers a bit of neglect.

Organic pest control: For details on treating pests naturally, consider reviewing an organic gardening guide or related post.

Watering: Let the soil dry slightly between waterings. Overwatering can lead to problems such as blight, mildew, rot, and rust.

Lighting and airflow: Provide plenty of sun and space between plants to help avoid disease.

Pests: Verbena can attract aphids, beetles, caterpillars, mites, thrips, and whiteflies. However, it also draws beneficial insects that often keep pests in check. If mites become an issue in hot, dry weather, rinse them off with a strong stream of water.

Pests that may bother verbena include aphids, beetles, caterpillars, miners, mites, nematodes, thrips, and whiteflies. However, most types of verbena also attract many kinds of beneficial insects. Don’t be too quick to treat any pests that show up. If mites are a problem during hot, dry weather, spray off verbena with a strong stream of water. For more information about organic pest control read this post.

5. Verbena cut flower tips

Looking to bring some of that vibrant color indoors?

When to harvest: Cut stems when about half of the flowers are open.
Arranging: Verbena’s clustered blooms make a wonderful filler flower. Pair them with other blooms for a casual, cottage-garden feel. Read this post for more information about making flower arrangements from your garden.