Verbena hastata

Common Names

American Blue Vervain, Blue Verbena, Simpler's Joy, Swamp Verben a, Wild-Hyssop

Summary

Verbena hastata, commonly called Blue Vervain or swamp verbena, is a native North American perennial with a stout, upright, clump-forming habit and square stems. It grows about 2–6 feet tall and 1–3 feet wide, with lance-shaped leaves and candelabra-like spikes of blue-violet flowers that bloom from mid-summer to fall, opening from the bottom upward on tall, branched stems in moist meadows, floodplains, and wetlands.

Cultivation and uses: prefers full sun to partial shade and moist to wet soils; hardy in USDA zones 3–9, tolerating loam, sand, and clay. It spreads by rhizomes and self-seeding, forming colonies, and can be propagated by seed, division, or softwood cuttings; generally pest- and disease-free. Suitable for borders, native plant beds, rain gardens, wetlands plantings, and prairie-meadow styles, it attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and serves as a larval host for the common buckeye butterfly.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

24-60 inches

Spread

12-24 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun; can be in partial sun or partial shade (full sun to partial shade).

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil, with textures ranging from sandy-loam to loam or clay

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained soil

Soil pH

All soil pH levels (acid, alkaline, or neutral)

Bloom Color

Blue to violet

Bloom Time

Summer through Fall

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Moderate to fast growth rate.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Verbena hastata attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds.