common garden verbena

Verbena refers to flowering plants from the genera Verbena and Glandularia, primarily found in the Americas. Most are perennial, with some being annuals, and they typically feature toothed, lobed, or dissected leaves. Their flowers are small to medium-sized and often grow on spikes.1

The common garden verbena (Glandularia × hybrida) is a popular cultivated variety known for its creeping habit and flat clusters of colorful, phlox-like flowers. Other cultivated types include clump verbena (Glandularia canadensis). In North America, many true Verbena species are low-growing, have small flowers, and are considered weedy, often called vervains. An example is blue vervain (V. hastata), which can grow up to 1.5 meters tall with blue to purple flowers. The Eurasian V. officinalis was historically used as a medicinal plant.1