Flowering verbena is non-toxic and can be used dried to prepare tea and incense mixtures. Newcomers should not be afraid to plant this plant on the balcony. If you know how, it is extremely easy to care for.
Preliminary considerations for planting on the balcony.
Verbena is ideal as a hanging basket plant for pots, tubs or balcony boxes.(54,00€ at Amazon*) But beware: Since verbena can form long roots, the planting container should be deep enough. Furthermore, when planting, a suitable location and a substrate suitable for the plant should be considered.
The location should be bright. Sunny to semi-shady locations such as south balconies, east and west balconies are ideally suited. Verbena can cope well with wind. Nevertheless, a location sheltered from the wind is preferable. The substrate – usually unit soil is suitable – should have the following properties:
- well permeable
- slightly acidic
- moderately nutritious
- humus
You can grow your verbena from seeds on the windowsill from February. The room should have a temperature between 19 and 20 °C. The seeds, if kept moist, will germinate after 2 to 3 weeks. From May, your verbena can be relocated and take fresh air on the balcony…
Care measures: Watering, fertilizing, pruning.
Verbena tolerates a dry soil for a short time. On the other hand, it can not cope with wetness in the root zone. Therefore, it should be watered regularly, but sparingly. Check the soil: it can be dry to the depth of half a finger.
On the balcony verbena should be supplied every two to four weeks with a liquid fertilizer such as guano fertilizer. Then the flowering will last longer. Those who want to use the herb for consumption or tea should use organic fertilizer.
Another aspect of care is pruning. In the case of verbena, the old leaves should be removed, and in the summer the withered inflorescences. Furthermore, it is advisable to cut off the shoot tips of young plants so that they subsequently grow bushier and produce more flowers.
Winterize or reseed?
Verbena does not winter well . Since wintering involves effort, it is more advisable to reseed the herb each year. Sometimes it also reproduces by self-seeding.
Tips & Tricks
If you want to plant several specimens next to each other, keep a minimum distance of 30 cm between them.
