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Verbena bonariensis has suffered from overpopularity for many years now, which is unfortunate because
it is a very good plant, but it has turned into a cliche. I planted it in the garden wondering if it might join the ranks of gentle seeders, and persist.
I think my soil is too rich and damp for it, I got flowers for as few years and then it vanished. I wouldn't be surprised if it appeared again but I'm not expecting it. Writing in the Journal of the Linnean Society for Botany in 1891, John Ball says: " "Plant with tall upright stem to a height of from 4 to 6 feet; very small deep-purple blossoms in clusters at the point of long stems. Decoctions of this are much used to bathe bruises. Foliage of a dark green, and rough to the touch. Grows in clayey ground, especially near streams, lakes &c" - W.Andrews this species appears to be a genuine cosmopolite, extending to the warm temperate regions of the earth, though doubtless in many stations (for instance the Canary Islands) it has been introduced by human agency." Writing in the JRHS in 2002, Ursula Buchan says: "The crown for long-flowering, however, must surely go to Verbena bonariensis, that indespensable plant from South America which can be such a pestilential weed in warmer climates. Our winters just about keep it in order; it is cut down by frost but usually not killed by a few degrees, and is easy to propagate from seed. We all know to plant it at the front of borders now, because it is a 'see-through' plant, but it looks pretty good at the back as well." |
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| 28th July 2007 | ||
