Verbena stricta

Verbena stricta: Upright Spikes for the Driest, Sunniest Spots

Hoary vervain is fuzzy, grey-green and opens its purple-blue flowers from the bottom up, like it's climbing a ladder one rung at a time. Slow and steady. NATIVE AND FULL OF PATIENCE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Verbena stricta
• Common Name: Hoary Vervain
• Height: 60–100 cm (2–3 ft)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Small lavender-purple to purple-blue flowers on slender, upright spikes that open from the bottom up
• Bloom Time: Summer (June to September)
• Foliage: Grey-green, toothed and covered in soft hairs, on stiff upright stems

Where to Plant: It's a natural for prairie and meadow plantings, native pollinator gardens and hot, dry borders. Plant it in groups for a stronger show. It handles sandy soil, dry slopes and sunny boulevard strips where many perennials struggle.

Companion Plants: Plant hoary vervain in a dry, sunny native bed with prairie smoke, prickly pear and big bluestem. Opuntia humifusa opens waxy yellow cactus flowers at 15 to 30 cm in June and July. Geum triflorum adds nodding prairie smoke flowers at 30 to 45 cm in May and June. Achillea millefolium brings flat white heads at 60 cm in June and July. Andropogon gerardii rises at the back to 120 to 200 cm, turning copper-bronze in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun, in average to dry, well-drained soil. Skip rich soil and fertilizer, which can make it flop. Water through the first season, then only during long droughts. Leave the seed heads standing for winter, since birds pick at them. Cut stems back in early spring. It's often short-lived, but it self-seeds in open ground to keep the colony going. Mature plants have a deep taproot, so plant it where you want it to stay.

History: Hoary vervain is native to much of the United States and to southern Ontario and Quebec, where it grows in dry prairies, fields and roadsides. Stricta means upright, for its stiff stems, and hoary refers to the soft white hairs that make the leaves look grey.

Final Thoughts: Drought and deer don't get a reaction, and the bees and butterflies climb aboard. PLANT IT IN THE SUN AND WALK AWAY.