Hi All !! I'm hoping to plant Verbena, Homestead Purple and was wondering if you think it would be a perennial in the Baltimore, Maryland area - zone 7.....
Thanks so much - janice
Would this plant be a perennial in Maryland ????
It came back from last year for me in Indianapolis -- zone 5b. I only put it in last year, so not sure I can claim it is perennial here.
I have it growing in a protected spot with excellent drainage, which might be a factor.
Suzy
Plant Files lists it as hardy to 6a so in zone 7 you should be fine.
It's never come back for me in Bel Air, MD
Uh Oh - I was all excited until I read Kiwigal's response...... do I dare try ??? LOL.....
Thanks much Illoquin, ecrane and kiwigal....
The area that I'm thinking of does have excellent drainage...... I was hoping to use it in the areas around these arborvitaes...... Guess I'll give it a try..... unless you have a suggestion of something similar...
again- thanks so much - janice
Give it a try - what do you have to lose? It will look wonderful this summer, at least. My advice - mulch well for the winter and protect from strong, biting winds. Good luck.
I'd definitely give it a try, it's not like it's a $50 plant or anything so if it comes back that's great but if not, it's not a huge loss. I did a bit of searching since PF is sometimes a little off on some of the details, but most of the other info out there also suggests it's hardy to zone 6 so I think you've got a pretty good chance.
Again, kiwigal and ecrane3 - thank you both very much. Kiwi - we're on the water so we do have higher winds than we did when we lived in Towson.......
I'll let you know (and see) what happens....... Guess I'll probably order online as I don't want to drive all over the place looking for the plants....
thanks again - janice
By the way, does anyone start 'homestead purple' from cuttings?
Did I read that you could take a few cuttings in the late summer, put them in water over the winter and have 'insurance' for their return in the garden the next spring?
Yes, That's how they're propagated, but if you bring them in Oct 14 (first frost) and they root in a month, you have to be prepared to hold them over with light and water for 5 or 6 months.
Suzy
I need to recant!!! My verbena bloomed, and something is very wrong. It's not the same as what it was last year.
I have a Verbena in the same place as last year, a big healthy plant. This is no seedling from last year's plant, but it is an ugly mutt and not the beautiful flowers I had last year.
To top it off, I forget if it was Imagination or Homestead Purple, either way, the problem is it overwintered, but has hideous little flowers.
Here's the photo.
and here is the flower.
I am sorry for the bum advice I gave you. I had no idea at the time I posted that this plant would bloom differently than it did last year.
A trick I used was to place a flat rock over the verbena Homestead Purple in the winter and it did come back for 3 years for me. I'm in zone 6 but that area along the drive way is probably warmer. I redid that garden last year and lost track of it. This year a light blue verbena appeared growing between rocks and cement planters right on the asphalt. It must really like it hot. It's growing with volunteer kale and moss phlox subulata.
Well.... guess I'll get a chance to see what happens..... Plants are on their way - hoping they get here in the next day or so - before I leave for Tampa....
We'll see what happens - my investment is only about $30..... not too bad to experiment...
thanks again for all the input.... janice