🟣 Verbena
Verbena × hybrida
Clusters of tiny flowers that butterflies can't resist.
Sun
Full sun, 6+ hrs
Days to harvest
Blooms ~3 months from seed; transplants faster
Spacing
10–12 inches apart
Soil pH
6.0–7.5
How to grow
Plant in well-drained soil and don't fuss — verbena blooms best when slightly stressed, making it a natural for Florida's sandy beds. Tall verbena self-sows into airy see-through drifts; trailing types spill beautifully from containers.
Water & feeding
Water to establish, then back off — established verbena is drought-tough and rots in constant wet.
Common problems
- Powdery mildew in humid, still air — space generously
- Spider mites in hot, dry spells; rinse foliage
- Thrips scar flowers; encourage predatory insects
Harvest
Deadhead or shear to keep blooms coming; tall verbena needs no deadheading and self-sows.
Nerdy fact: Verbena's tiny individual flowers open in a ring that moves up the cluster over days — pollinators learn to visit the fresh ring, a color-coded now-serving system.