Pollinator Wildflowers
Vanity Verbena
(Verbena bonariensis)
Vanity is a new compact cultivar of a perennial favorite wildflower, offering brilliant color, a long flowering season and constant pollinator visits especially from summer butterflies. This award-winning variety has an open habit with gorgeous, intense purple-blue clusters atop branching thin, wiry stems. With its garden friendly compact size of 2-2 1/2 feet, Vanity is the most versatile Verbena bonariensis; plant in borders, or in containers for a patio or terrace. Its eye-catching, vivid blossoms make fabulous color accents in mixed bouquets.
TENDER PERENNIAL GROWN AS ANNUAL
Summer/fall bloom
Frost tender
TO START EARLY INDOORS
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost date. Sow seeds 1 inch apart in a container of seed starting mix and cover very lightly. Keep moist but not soggy and provide a strong light source. Vanity germinates best in cool temps between 68-70°F (20°-21°C). Be patient; seeds germinate slowly over 14-28 days. When seedlings are about 2 to 3 inches tall, and night temperatures are above 50°F (10°C), acclimate to outdoor conditions and plant 12-15 inches apart.
TO START DIRECTLY OUTDOORS
Sow in well-worked beds after night temperatures reach 50°F (10°C). Plant seeds 4 inches apart and cover very lightly. Keep soil evenly moist. Thin the sturdiest seedlings 12-15 inches apart, giving plants room to mature.
GROWING NOTES
Branching, compact Vanity grows 2 1/2 feet tall and wide with vivid flower clusters that bloom hard all summer. Pollinators of every kind love visiting these nectar-rich flowers. Vanity is also long-lasting and decorative in bouquets.
Cold Winters |
Mild Winters |
Sun/Shade |
Sow Seeds |
Days to Germinate |
Mature Height |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May – June
|
April – May
|
Full sun
|
1 inch apart
Barely cover |
10 – 15 days
|
25 – 30 inches
|
Cold Winters |
Mild Winters |
Sun/Shade |
Sow Seeds |
Days to Germinate |
Mature Height |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May – June
|
April – May
|
Full sun
|
1 inch apart
Barely cover |
10 – 15 days
|
25 – 30 inches
|
Cold Winters
May – June
|
Mild Winters
April – May
|
Sun/Shade
Full sun
|
Sow Seeds
1 inch apart
Barely cover |
Days to Germinate
10 – 15 days
|
Mature Height
25 – 30 inches
|