Expert: Long Island Gardener - 4/22/2007

Question
What fertilzer do yall use? How much water? Does it need sun? When the blooms fade away, Do you cut for more added blooms? Hfar do you cut?  

Answer
Dr Jerry Parsons at the Texas Coop Extension has prepared a cheat sheet on this very popular genus.  It's a simple plant to keep and a favorite for its cheerful colors.  It 'blooms profusely, tolerates heat and endures'.

In an essay entitled 'Verbena: Queen of Summer Beauty' (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/96promotions/verbena.html), Dr Parsons has some advice:

1.  Verbena 'MUST be planted in the sunniest, best drained spot in your landscape.'  It demands a full 8 to 10 hours of sun.  That means it won't do well in a pot on a windowsill, although I understand that it is often sold this way.

2.  Slow, steady doses of balanced fertilizer high in Nitrogen will keep your Verbena healthy and bloom-happy.  

3.  After a flush of flowers, which should be diligently dead-headed, Verbenas must be pruned to encourage repeat blooming.

About this last exercise, laments Dr Parsons: 'Here's the problem:  People DO NOT want to cut plants back and WILL NOT cut them back as long as one pitiful-looking bloom endures.'  He wanrs: 'People who cannot discipline themselves to to shear old blooms periodically should not grow Verbena.'

Mildew and Spider Mites tend to flock to Verbena, as they do to many other plants.  On the treatment for these, I disagree with the chemicals-loving professor.  Spider Mites can be effectively treated with Ladybugs or, if you prefer, insecticidal soap, which will destroy beneficial insects but is probably more realistic if you are trying to grow this in a pot indoors.

Powdery Mildew must be dealt with before symptoms appear, which means daily dips in Baking Soda/water solution, with the Baking Soda allowed to dry on the leaves.  This will completely stop Powdery Mildew or any other fungus from developing.

These are easy and not very high maintenance, Debbie.  But they do need a bit of attention.  There is a reason as well for their enormous popularity over the decades:  Those Verbena flowers are always the perfect symbol of a summer day.

Any more questions, I'm here.  Thanks for writing.