VERBENA

Hardy and half-hardy perennials



VERBENAS raised from the best strains of seed come true to colour and

the plants are models of health and vigour, and make resplendent beds.

It is of the utmost importance to remember that the Verbena requires

very little of the artificial heat to which it is commonly subjected,

and which fully accounts for the frequency of disease among plants

propagated from cuttings. Seed may be sown in boxes in January,

February, and March, the earlier sowings naturally requiring more heat

than the later ones. As the seedlings become large enough, they should

be potted on and planted out in May, when they will flower throughout

the summer, and far into the autumn.



Verbenas may also be sown in March or April in boxes, put into a frame,

and if kept moist a lot of plants will appear in about a month. When

large enough these must be carefully lifted and potted. A rich, mellow,

and very sweet soil is needed by the Verbena. Many of the failures that

occur in its cultivation are not only traceable to the coddling of the

plant under glass, but also to the careless way in which it is often

planted on poor worn-out soil that has been cropped for years without

manure, or even the sweetening effects of a good digging. Raising

Verbenas from seed has restored this plant to the list of easily grown

and thoroughly useful flowers for the parterre.



The hardy perennial V. venosa also comes perfectly true and uniform

from seed.