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Hybrid verbena is a beautiful herbaceous plant with a fairly long flowering period. Known since the times of ancient Celtic civilizations. The plant was used as the main ingredient for preparing love potions, various amulets and rituals. Followers of Christ believe that the sacred flower pierced the ground in places where drops of the blood of the Savior crucified on the cross fell.
Modern landscape designers successfully use hybrid varieties of verbena to decorate various areas
Description of hybrid verbena
Hybrid verbena, Verbena hybrida, is a miniature shrub with branched stems. It is characterized by a pleasant aroma of inflorescences, which intensifies after sunset.
The plant is distinguished by the following characteristics:
- the root system is fibrous;
- plant height 15-60 cm;
- leaves are opposite, elongated;
- the shape of the lower leaves is heart-shaped;
- leaves and stems are covered with gray hairs;
- in places where they touch the ground, the stems form adventitious roots;
- the shape of the inflorescences is an umbrella-shaped spike;
- the number of flowers on one inflorescence is up to 30 pieces.
Each individual flower has 5 delightful petals
Basic forms
In Russia, various forms of verbena are cultivated: ground cover, creeping, upright growing plants that form a fairly large bush, up to 20 cm high, ampelous, tall and dwarf.
Hybrid verbena flowers delight with a riot of colors and colors: from plain (blue, purple, pink, orange, white) to variegated.
The bright color of numerous flowers makes hybrid verbena the most popular crop in landscape design.
Varieties of hybrid verbena
More than 250 varieties of hybrid verbena serve as decoration for gardens, parks, and home areas. The most popular are the following
- Several varieties from the Quartz series are classified as groundcover hybrids. Plants have exceptional decorative properties. The most popular variety is Quartz White, an early, long-flowering crop. Low-growing, densely branched bushes of hybrid verbena ground cover, the height of which reaches 25 cm, can be used to decorate borders, flowerpots and flowerpots.
Large flowers of the ground cover variety Quartz White bloom a week earlier than other plants
- The Quartz Burgundy variety, which is characterized by a bush height of up to 25 cm, amazes with the splendor of its long flowering.
Burgundy quartz is distinguished by large flowers of a spectacular cherry tone, with a characteristic eye with a purple border
- The hybrid verbena variety Quartz Pink is perfect for decorating outdoor flowerpots and mixborders.
Quartz Pink blooms with medium-sized bright pink buds
- The variety of ampelous verbena Ideal impresses with its widest color palette and variety of shades.
The Ideal variety is able to win the love of flower growers once and for all
- The bright and alluring variety of ampelous verbena Lucifer is distinguished by its resistance to temperature changes and long and lush flowering.
Bright scarlet Lucifer is one of the most popular ampel varieties of verbena, which is characterized by especially large flowers.
- The unique ampelous variety Star Round Dance is characterized by large, dense, umbrella-shaped inflorescences up to 15 cm long. The plant looks great in outdoor flowerpots, pots, on lawns, and in symbiosis with tall crops.
The ampelous Star Round Dance is presented in many bright colors
- The Snow Queen variety is a type of ampelous verbena. The plant is characterized by medium-sized flowers, the length of the inflorescences is up to 20 cm.
The Snow Queen is represented in white and various pastel shades of lilac, pink and violet
- Ampel varieties of hybrid verbena from the newest Tuscany series are capable of producing additional roots on regrown vines, which can be periodically pinned to the soil and hilled up. Tuscani plants are characterized by the following characteristics: resistance to pathogens and temperature changes, long and lush flowering. The culture is distinguished by its small size, exquisite and exotic color combinations, resistance to temperature changes and pathogens, and the longest flowering period.The Tuscany Lavander Picotee variety has a muted lavender color and forms a continuous carpet in the beds, provided that the interval between plants is 20-25 cm.
Lavender Pikoti looks perfect in Provence style flowerbeds
- The Tuscany Pastoral variety is characterized by large flowers that look great in outdoor flowerpots, flowerpots, and mixborders.
Tuscani Pastoral is represented by an unusual range of colors from soft pink to deep purple
- Varieties of dwarf verbenas from the Quartz line are recognized as the most unpretentious for Russia. The plants are characterized by the following parameters: small bush size - up to 30 cm; abundant flowering throughout the summer; subtle aroma.
Quartz Red - spectacular, early dwarf verbena with small red flowers, looks great in outdoor vases, plant pots
- The dwarf variety Quartz Purple, due to its long flowering period, is successfully cultivated as elegant borders and bright accents in garden beds.
Luxurious Quartz Purple - impeccably beautiful, purple dwarf verbena with large flowers
- The alluring Quartz Scarlett with large scarlet buds is characterized by long flowering and resistance to temperature changes.
Quartz Scarlett is planted in outdoor flowerpots, flowerpots, hanging baskets, mixborders
- The tall verbena cultivar Peaches and Cream is a stunning specimen, growing up to 40cm tall.
Tall Peaches and Cream is characterized by earlier flowering
- The Blue hybrid verbena variety with an eye has a bush height of up to 30 cm.
Blue hybrid verbena with an eye is characterized by abundant flowering of spherical inflorescences
- The popular variety Russian Size is characterized by long-term flowering of large, deep pink inflorescences.
A variety of tall verbena, Russian size, has a delicate aroma
Features of reproduction
Several methods are used to propagate hybrid verbena:
- cuttings - used for hybrids that do not form seeds;
- dividing a bush of an adult plant;
- seed, with germination of seedlings from hybrid seeds.
To grow hybrid verbena seedlings, you should choose selected plant seeds from trusted producers
Application in landscape design
The use of hybrid verbena in landscape design is so widespread that many flower growers and professional gardeners prefer this crop for most areas of area design. Thanks to its unpretentiousness, exceptional decorative properties of rich greenery and a wide range of shades, verbena is used on various objects:
- on clubs and beds to design areas that bloom throughout the summer;
- in mixborders (middle or background for tall varieties);
- in rock gardens to create bright color accents;
- on lawns as dominant elements;
- for designing dense borders (low-growing species);
- hanging flowerpots;
- containers;
- outdoor pots and flowerpots.
With proper care, hybrid verbena can decorate any area of the local area with its lush blooms all summer long.
Landing rules
Most often, hybrid verbena is grown from purchased seeds. In order to get healthy, abundantly flowering plants, you should pay attention to the seedlings.
When to plant hybrid verbena seedlings
When growing hybrid verbena from seeds, it is necessary to plant seedlings in late February or early March. Planting material should be selected in specialized stores.
In conditions of shortened sunny days, young shoots of the plant must be additionally illuminated
Preparing containers and soil
For young shoots of hybrid verbena, a plastic or wooden box or peat container is suitable.
For ideal seed germination you need loose, neutral, light, water- and breathable soil:
- wood ash (in the amount of 1 large glass per 4 liters of soil mixture);
- garden soil (1 part);
- peat (2 parts);
- sand (1/2 part);
- perlite (ratio of 2 large glasses per 4 liters of soil).
The soil mixture must be treated with a weak (0.5-1%) solution of potassium permanganate, calcined in the oven or treated with steam.
To increase the percentage and intensity of germination, the soil should be carefully sifted through a sieve to increase the level of looseness
Sowing algorithm
Sowing hybrid verbena seeds is carried out in several stages:
- before sowing, seeds are soaked for 15-20 minutes in growth-stimulating preparations (Heteroauxin, Epin, Zircon);
- the prepared soil in the container is watered with warm water;
- using toothpicks soaked in water, pick up verbena seeds and transfer them to the surface of the earth;
- seeds are placed at a distance of up to 2 cm from each other;
- sprinkle with soil mixture up to 2 mm thick;
- moisten the ground using a spray or atomizer;
- To create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with glass or plastic film.
The optimal distance between verbena seeds is 1.5-2 cm
Growing hybrid verbena from seeds at home
Before sprouts appear, the crops are “ventilated” for 15-20 minutes a day. To do this, remove the polyethylene or glass. Condensation is completely removed from the surface of the covering material.In conditions that are comfortable for the plant (moderate humidity, air temperature up to + 25 ⁰C), after 3-7 days the seeds show the first signs of “life”.
When the first shoots appear, the container is moved to a cool place and the covering material is removed. Experienced gardeners advise doing this gradually (30 minutes a day) over several days.
In the new location, seedlings are grown at temperatures up to + 18 ⁰C; additionally, young shoots are illuminated with daylight hours of less than 14 hours
Watering is done from a spray bottle, avoiding waterlogging of the soil. Taller seedlings are watered at the root using a syringe or mini-watering can to avoid water getting on the plants. The frequency of watering is determined individually, depending on the drying of the outer layer.
When the first pair of leaves appears (one month after sowing), verbena seedlings are planted in fertilized soil. The soil mixture for pickled verbena contains the following ingredients:
- 2 parts of garden land;
- 2 parts peat;
- ½ part sand;
- 1 large glass of ash per 6 liters of soil;
- 1 tablespoon of complex fertilizer per 6 liters of soil mixture;
- perlite
It is recommended to choose planting containers for each individual plant with a diameter of more than 5 cm.
1.5-2 hours before transplanting, the prepared containers are filled with drainage, soil and watered thoroughly. Sprouts with two leaves are planted in small holes, after which the planting site is compacted and watered.
After picking, the plants are moved to a sunny place. In the case of planting ampelous varieties, you should “pinch” the top to obtain six full leaves.
1 week after picking, verbena is fed with mineral nitrogen-containing or complex (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus) preparations
Planting and caring for hybrid verbena in open ground
Verbena is a unique ornamental, lush and long-flowering plant, the budding period of which begins after the primroses wither and continues until autumn.
Flowers, buds, and leaves of hybrid verbena do not fade even under the scorching sun. The culture looks great both in flower beds and beds, as well as in outdoor flower pots or flowerpots.
Transplanting seedlings into the ground
Hardened verbena seedlings are transferred to the ground in the last ten days of May. The sprouts are hardened to adapt to the sudden nighttime drop in air temperature in May. Plants prefer loamy, fertile soil with a neutral acidity level, loose and breathable.
The place for transplanting hybrid verbena seedlings into the ground should be chosen as sunny, open, without shading, since the plant is warm and light-loving.
The soil is dug up in the fall and pre-fertilized with a mixture containing potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Planting holes are well moistened. The distance between them is 30-35 cm, depending on the type and variety of the plant.
Verbena sprouts, previously watered in containers, together with a lump of earth, are moved into prepared holes in open ground, sprinkled with earth, compacted a little, watered in doses, and mulched with peat.
Watering and fertilizing
Since hybrid verbena is a drought-resistant crop, watering is recommended once every 7 days. In particularly dry weather - 2 times a week.
Beautiful and lush flowering throughout the summer is the result of timely feeding of plants:
- at the end of spring - organic fertilizers;
- at the beginning of summer (during the formation of buds) - organic mixtures;
- in mid-summer - phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers.
Excessive watering can provoke the development of fungal diseases, and drying out of the soil negatively affects flowering
Weeding, loosening, mulching
At the same time as watering, experienced gardeners advise loosening and weeding the soil to remove weeds, which will ensure a sufficient flow of fresh air to the root system.
Periodic loosening of the soil is a mandatory measure for aeration
Care during the flowering period
Since new shoots appear in the place of faded inflorescences of the hybrid verbena, timely pruning should be done. Faded and wilted inflorescences are removed, and the stem is shortened by ¼ of the total length.
Pruning verbena will stimulate the growth of new shoots and increase the duration of flowering.
Wintering
Perennial upright varieties of verbena cultivated by humans are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and frost resistance. With the arrival of the first autumn frosts (-2 ⁰C) in the southern regions, verbena bushes are pruned and “insulated” with spruce branches.
In mid-latitudes, plants are dug up and transferred for “wintering” to utility rooms to ensure a period of winter rest and sleep (dark cellar, barn, balcony)
Pests and diseases
Among the diseases to which hybrid verbena is most often susceptible are root rot, gray rot, and powdery mildew.
When infected with root rot, the leaves and stems of verbena turn yellow
When affected by gray rot, dark gray spots appear on the leaves, the inflorescences rot and fall off
Powdery mildew appears as a thick white coating on leaves and inflorescences
The listed fungal diseases of verbena are the result of violation of watering rules.Modern fungicides are used as the main means of plant treatment.
In addition to diseases, during the summer season hybrid verbena can be attacked by some pests: thrips, spider mites, aphids.
Thrips suck out healthy juices, gray spots appear at puncture sites
The spider mite is “located” on the lower part of the leaf blades, its habitats are “marked” with a characteristic web
Aphids are the most dangerous pest that feeds on plant sap and slows down the growth and flowering of verbena.
Conclusion
Hybrid verbena is popularly called “pigeon grass.” The attractive shrubby plant has over 120 stunning varieties.
