June Plant of the Month: Verbena rigida and Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’
June Plant of the Month:
Verbena rigida and Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’
Written by Lisa Endicott, Horticulture Manager
June 23, 2023
The Plant(s) of the Month for June are Verbena rigida and Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’. Both are reliable long-blooming plants in the Gardens and in the Nursery and are both blooming profusely this year with the abundant spring rains we’ve been experiencing!
Here are some reasons Verbena rigida and Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’ are our Plant(s) of the Month:
Vigorous South America native that grows with a wide hardiness range in North America
Excellent pollinator plants – butterflies, especially
Low water needs, once established, spreads out better as a groundcover with spray heads (low-volume micro-irrigation spray heads work great), rather than drip emitters
Once established (usually only 1 year to start), it’s a fast-growing groundcover
Low maintenance (pruning by weed trimmer, once established)
Deer resistant
Habit of established fast-growing Verbena rigida
Close-up of the small individual blooms that make up the flowerheads
This long-blooming, hardy perennial Verbena, is repeat blooming during the growing season, but only if you “deadhead” (cut or shear the spent flowers back after the first flush of blossoms have died and before they set seed). You can do this with a weed trimmer once they are established and have spread out from the original planting site - careful pruning with pruning shears is not necessary for this tough plant. New growth will sprout from the underground rhizomes (underground plant stems that send out shoots and roots as the plant grows), as well as leaf nodes left intact aboveground.
Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’ grows at Turtle Bay Nursery in planter box and through cracks in box, around multiple Salvia ssp.
Available now at the Turtle Bay Nursery!
Verbena rigida and Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’ are always in propagation rotation in our Nursery (see the updated inventory list, along with growing information, at turtlebaynursery.org)
Caring for Verbena rigida and Verbena rigida ‘Polaris’ in our area:
Prefers growing in areas with full sun (will get powdery mildew if in too much shade)
Spreads best in well-draining soil (but is not overly particular in this regard)
If you don’t have well-draining soil, you can create small (or large) raised planting areas
To keep it blooming at its best, water weekly in summer (more if needed during heatwaves)
Best cut back when first flowers are finished blooming and will bloom again and keep blooming until frost (you can repeat the cut back during the growing season if needed)
After a hard freeze, cut dead aerial growth back hard with a weed trimmer if established. New growth will come up from the underground rhizomes in the spring.