Verbena Hastata Plant Care Tips: How to Grow Verbena Hastata

Verbena hastata is a native plant commonly found in the moist prairies, meadows, and floodplains of North America. A clumping perennial with purple flowers, it can even survive in disturbed wetlands. It is a member of the Verbenaceae family.

Verbena hastata is known to gardeners and landscapers by the common names swamp verbena, blue verbena, blue vervain, and simpler's joy. The blue-violet bloom color of its flower spikes attracts pollinators—particularly bees, wasps, and butterflies. Its seeds attract songbirds such as sparrows, while its leaves serve as food for caterpillars of common buckeye butterflies and verbena moths. It serves as a natural larval host to these butterfly and moth species.

The key to successfully growing Verbena hastata is mimicking the soil moisture of its natural habitat.

1. 1. Hardiness: Verbena hastata is hardy in USDA plant zones three through nine. It is often found in the floodplains of the American Midwest.
2. 2. Soil: Verbena hastata requires consistently wet soil. Planting it near the edge of a pond or a water feature can provide some of the soil moisture it requires. It also features nicely as part of a rain garden.
3. 3. Sunlight: Like most herbaceous perennials, Verbena hastata has evolved to grow in full sun. It can also do well in partial shade, but this may mute the hue of its violet flowers.
4. 4. Bloom time: The blue vervain plant blooms in late summer—typically from July to September. Flowers resemble a candelabra with tubular florets and appear along footlong panicles. These will eventually give way to small, brown nutlets.

Verbena hastata is a low-maintenance plant that’s resistant to most pests. In the wild, the self-seeding Verbena hastata produces continuous underground stems known as rhizomes. Above ground, these can produce thickets of blue vervain stems. Such efficient reproduction allows Verbena hastata to quickly dominate a garden, provided that there is enough soil moisture. As such, you may need to frequently prune the plant to keep its growth in check.

Although its leaves are extremely bitter, Verbena hastata is not toxic in small doses. It has been used as an herbal remedy for everything from headaches to ulcers. Take note that large doses can inhibit hormone therapy and limit the effects of blood pressure medication. Eating whole plants will cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Wear gloves when handling swamp verbena. Its toothed leaves can prick your skin and, in some cases, cause an allergic reaction.

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