Verbena × hybrida

Keep plants evenly moist until established, when they can tolerate some dry spells. Verbena is somewhat drought tolerant, and it certainly does not do well in boggy conditions, but you must not underwater it either. Soggy plants will succumb to botrytis blight, but drought-stressed plants will attract spider mites. Water verbena as you might your lawn, with an inch of rain or irrigation each week.

Annual verbena may decline quickly when summer weather turns hot and humid. In warmer climates, perennial verbenas may grow better than the annual form.

Verbenas are not heavy feeders, but they do appreciate a monthly application of balanced, slow-release flower fertilizer to help them keep up the flower show, which can last from spring until frost.

All verbenas benefit greatly from regular deadheading. This not only removes the seed heads that signal the plant to rest but also helps to keep sprawling plants in their place in your landscape. If you have a large planting of low-growing verbena, you can accomplish this quickly with a string trimmer.