If I spent every dark, cold January night in the company of the many seed and plant catalogs and merchandisers’ websites, I would have to declare bankruptcy in February. Given that sad fact, I seek solace on the screen where I can stream all manner of gardening shows from the United States and elsewhere. One of my favorites is BBC Gardeners’ World, a show that has aired for years in Britain and is now available in America via cable and streaming services.
Hosted by venerable English plantsman, Monty Don, who digs in the dirt full-time, but never seems to wear either jeans or garden gloves, the show focuses on all kinds of gardens—estate landscapes, allotments or community gardens, container arrays, herb gardens, therapeutic gardens, and home gardens. Monty’s fellow presenters also host features on specific plants, pollinators, and individuals who have made important horticultural contributions. The programs are both beautifully produced and accessible for normal gardeners.
I always learn something from Monty and company, and I come away inspired, ready to try sweet peas yet again, or install meadow rue in the back of the garden. The two constants in every segment of BBC Gardeners’ World are close-ups of pollinators—especially bees—and Verbena bonariensis or tall vervain.
Every English garden—or at least every garden seen on Gardener’s World–seems to have this plant, and now, I am poised to include it in my landscape. Native to Argentina and parts of Brazil, tall vervain, sometimes also known as “Brazilian verbena”, has a long history in Britain. Seeds or cuttings journeyed to Europe from South America in 1726, in the hands of apothecary/plant hunter James Sherard. It caught on right away, probably due to its two most sterling qualities—beauty and self-seeding.
The plants are perennial, though they are only hardy to USDA plant hardiness Zone 7, where winter temperatures go no lower than zero degrees Fahrenheit. People in colder climates can grow this verbena as an annual, confident in the knowledge that it will self-seed, and become, effectively, perennial.
Growing between two and four feet tall, these verbenas rise on slender stems from basal clumps of lance-shaped, toothed leaves. You would never purchase the plant for the leaves or stems, but the flowerheads are an inspiration. Perched atop each stem is a two to three inch cluster of tiny pink/purple flowers. The individual blooms boast four or five petals apiece, fused into a long tube, the better to attract the butterflies that are the prime verbena pollinators. Hummingbirds find them equally attractive and patronize the flowers from early summer through the first frost.
Happy verbenas may form clumps in places where they can perennialize, but they also self-seed in such a way that the flower clusters may repeat throughout a garden, creating little pops of color. A big reason for tall verbena’s popularity is that it is a good neighbor. While it can pop up in unexpected places, the airy quality of the stems means that it doesn’t block other, shorter plants.
With the popularity of cottage gardens, pollinator landscapes, and meadow gardens, Verbena bonariensis is having a moment at the moment. While breeders have not attacked the species with extreme fervor, merchandisers sometimes carry cultivated varieties. One star in the bonariensis world is ‘Vanity’, which won the All-America Selections “Ornamental Plant of the Year” award in 2022, as well as the European Fleuroselect Award. ‘Vanity’s blooms are darker than those of the species, tending more towards purple. Another variety, ‘Lollipop’ is more compact, reaching just over one foot in height, making it suitable for smaller landscapes or containers. No matter whether you choose the species or one of the varieties, Verbena bonariensis stems also make excellent cut flowers.
Verbenas prefer sun and well drained soil, but once established can withstand some amount of drought. They are mostly untroubled by pests and diseases. If self-seeding is anathema in your garden, it is easy to grub out the little verbena offspring.
In addition to an intense desire for Verbena bonariensis, Gardener’s World has given me an urge to name my house and garden. Monty calls his place “Long Meadow”. I think I will christen mine “Suburban Experiment.”
When the gardening season gets going, many nurseries and garden centers will carry Verbena bonariensis. White Flower Farm offers ‘Vanity’. Find them at P.O. Box 50, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759; (800) 503-9624; www.whiteflowerfarm.com. Bluestone Perennials carries ‘Lollipop’, and can be found at 7211 Middle Ridge Rd., Madison, OH 44057; (800) 852-5243; www.bluestoneperennials.com. The plants are also fairly easy to grow from seed. Select Seeds offers the species, plus ‘Vanity’ and ‘Lolipop’. They are at 180 Stickney Hill Road, Union, CT 06076;(800) 684-0395; www.selectseeds.com. All three companies also offer print catalogs.