General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 7a -17.8 °C (0 °F) to -15 °C (5 °F)
Plant Height: 4-6 feet
Plant Spread: 1-3 feet
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Purple
Flower Time: Spring
Summer
Fall
Uses: Will Naturalize
Suitable as Annual
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Tip
Division
Awards and Recognitions: RHS AGM

Image
Common names
  • Tall Verbena
  • Upright Verbena
  • Brazilian Verbena
  • Purpletop Vervain
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Verbena bonariensis
  • Synonym: Verbena bonariensis var. conglomerata

Photo Gallery
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-07-30
With a visitor.
Location: NJ
Location: Oxfordshire, England
Date: 2016-10-14
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2015-07-06
Location: my garden
Date: 2011-11-02
#Pollination
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Meise Botanical Garden)
Location: Cincinnati, Oh
Date: Jan 1, 1970 12:00 AM
Butterflies love verbena bonariensis
Location: Gilroy, CA
Date: May
Verbena bonarensis
Location: IL
Date: 2008-09-01
#Pollination Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Verbena-on-a-S
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: Jun 26, 2006 2:15 PM
Location: Bochum, Germany
Date: 2023-10-08
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Meise Botanical Garden)
Location: Southern Pines, NC (SW Broad)
Date: May 10, 2023
Tall verbena # 442; RAB page 888, 162-1-3; AG p. 401, 81-1-?, "La
Location: NJ
Self seeded in my garden loving them
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-08-05
Location: IL
Date: 2011-08-19
#Pollination  Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) Butterfl
Location: Bochum, Germany
Date: 2023-10-08
Location: all photos from my gardens
Date: 2018-06-11
Location: Loki Schmidt Garten - Botanischer Garten der Universitaet Hamburg
Date: 2022-09-13

Date: 2000-01-01
Location: Zone 5b, Chicago suburbs
Date: June 2021
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2020-08-07
Every year the Giant Swallowtail butterfly stops by to sip this f
Location: My garden, Ghent, Belgium
Date: 2015-07-02
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2016-08-14

Date: 2020-06-19
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-08-22
Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: Jul 1, 2012
Location: Mentor on the Lake
Date: 2018-09-05
Location: Loki Schmidt Garten - Botanischer Garten der Universitaet Hamburg
Date: 2022-09-13
Location: Loki Schmidt Garten - Botanischer Garten der Universitaet Hamburg
Location: Ingleside. Illinois
Date: 2022-09-01
Photo by SheilaC
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Meise Botanical Garden)
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-07-31
Location: Dall
Date: 2023-06-04
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: Jul 3, 2006 6:11 PM

Date: 2011-06-30
 Courtesy Outsidepride
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: NJ
They sway in the breeze.. looks so nice
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2015-07-06
Location: Quad Cities Botanical Garden, Rock Island, Il.
Date: 2012-07-02
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2017-08-03
All the butterflies and bees love this flower.
Location: Friend's garden, MI
Date: 2012-07-06
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2016-04-13
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Meise Botanical Garden)
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-07-14
Location: all photos from my garden
Date: 2016-10-14
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2016-07-10
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2006-07-07
#pollination

Photo by Leo Michels
Location: Ingleside. Illinois
Date: 2023-05-26
Location: Lenore, ID
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2006-07-07
With a Monarch butterfly
Location: Coastal San Diego County 
Date: 2018-06-28
Location: Indiana - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-23
Location: IL
Date: 2008-07-08
Location: All pictures taken in my gardens/greenhouse
Date: 2016-04-07
Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: 2006-07-07
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Fort Boonesborough, Boonesborough, KY
Date: 2017-09-14
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-03-09
Location: Oceanside, California 
Date: 2020-04-21
In my garden
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-05-23
Location: Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2011-08-02
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-03-28
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: 2012-05-07
wintersown seedlings
Location: all photos from my garden
Date: 2008-02-10
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2008-08-30
with Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2008-08-30
with Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
Location: Coastal San Diego County 
Date: 2018-06-28
Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: 2008-09-21
  • Uploaded by Joy

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: my garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: Jul 19, 2010 6:28 PM

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
Location: Water Tower Plaza, Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, Utah, United States
Date: 2021-10-30
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-07-20

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-06-30

Date: 2013-09-09
Location: Kalama, Wa
Date: 2011-07-25
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2006-06-24
#pollination
Location: Verbena bonariensis (purpletop vervain, tall verbena), single plant in new plug bed near Hourglass Lake, likely a garden stray; inflorescence
Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Washington
Date: 2016-09-23

Courtesy of Diane's Flower Seeds
Location: Quad Cities Botanical Garden, Rock Island, Il.
Date: 7-1-12
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2008-08-30
with Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
Location: Friend's garden, MI
Date: 2012-07-06
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2009-08-06

Date: 2008-05-25
Location: Indiana - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-23
Leaves are opposite, and clasping.
Location: Cincinnati, Oh
Date: July 2007
Hummingbird moth on verbena bonariensis

Date: 2013-09-09

Date: 2013-09-09
Location: Maryland
Date: 2015-08-25
Multiple skipper butterflies enjoying the verbena blossoms.
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-06-16
Location: Gilroy, CA
Date: June
Verbena bonarensis
Location: Texas
Verbena bonariensis
Location: Washington
Date: 2016-09-23

Courtesy Crownsville Nursery
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Smith College Botanical Garden
Date: 2011-08-02
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-06-07

photo credit: Dick Culbert

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Lenore, ID
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Comments:
  • Posted by okus (Lincolnshire, UK) on Sep 23, 2011 4:09 PM concerning plant:
    If you are a butterfly lover, this is a must-have plant. It is so light and airy that it doesn't block out anything else and grows readily from seed. Just scatter some seeds about and enjoy the "flying flowers" as they come and visit to enjoy your plants.
  • Posted by jvdubb (48036 MI - Zone 6b) on Aug 27, 2014 7:06 PM concerning plant:
    When I first saw this Verbena it was growing in a large clump in a nursery display garden. It was stunning! They did not have any to sell, but my mom bought seeds the following season and shared some plants she grew. I enjoyed the tall stems with blooms swaying above the plants below. It did not matter that it is not hardy in zone 5. There were plenty of seedlings coming up the following spring, and I have had reseeded plants year after year since....through two moves. In fact, I often have seedlings pop up in pots of other plants that my mom shares with me. One might say it is insidious.

    I only let two seedling grow to maturity and bloom last year. Still, I was pulling out hundreds of seedlings this spring. Even in the last few days, I still have been finding about one a day. They are easy enough to pluck.

    I have found that some years they were prone to mildew.
  • Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Feb 28, 2015 12:06 AM concerning plant:
    This is one of the best butterfly plants! I've seen bees and hummingbirds drinking the nectar from the flowers also. The years I've had it growing in all my flowerbeds, it has been a big "hit" with them. I let it reseed, grow, and bloom for years and I always had bees, butterflies, and/or hummingbirds on the flowers. Any unwanted seedlings are easy to pull up, and you can also deadhead the flower stems to keep it from reseeding. The plants can be cut back during the growing season for shorter height if desired. I noticed that it survives the summer drought very well. Even though it is hardy to zone 7, the seedlings that came up the following years in zone 6 were pretty hardy plants. A nice purple-colored flower.
  • Posted by lovesblooms (Maryland - Zone 7a) on Feb 3, 2015 8:31 AM concerning plant:
    The see-through nature of these plants makes it a little more of a challenge for me to find a place to get them to show up to best effect. The butterflies adored these, and I don't foresee ever having to sow them again, since they're heavy reseeders in my area according to neighboring gardeners. I tried pinching some, but the new side stems just waited until they reached around 4 feet high to bloom again, anyway. But at least there were a few more of the blooms.
  • Posted by plantladylin (Sebastian, Florida - Zone 10a) on Sep 23, 2011 5:26 PM concerning plant:
    Purple Verbena is an erect, clump-forming perennial that has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in areas of California, the Southeastern part of the United States, and all of Florida. You can pinch the tips in early spring to promote branching and the more pruning you do, the more shrub-like this plant becomes. In mild climates it self sows freely. Purple Verbena can be propagated by seed, tip cuttings, or root division.
  • Posted by imapigeon (Gilroy, CA) on Sep 17, 2011 3:31 PM concerning plant:
    Although I know people who dislike this plant, it's one of the favorites in my "cottagey" garden. I love the open structure that leaves room for other plants behind it to show through. I now periodically cut my plant back so it blooms a bit lower than its normal height, making the stems less likely to fall over. It has a tendency to reseed, but the seedlings are easy to pull if they turn up somewhere I don't want them. Butterflies and hummingbirds like the blooms, and I've seen both sample nectar from each tiny little flower in a cluster.
  • Posted by scvirginia on May 18, 2018 2:04 PM concerning plant:
    I think the common name Brazilian Verbena would be better suited to Verbena brasiliensis, which is not the same species as V. bonariensis. I'm not a botanist, but I think I see photos of both species at this page, and I suggest that a different common name be used (I've seen Tall Verbena used, and the USDA PLANTS site uses the common name Purpletop Vervain). It might also be helpful to add a "not to be confused with V. brasiliensis" note somewhere? FWIW, USDA uses Brazilian Vervain as the common name for V. brasilensis.

    I came here because I was looking for photos of V. bonariensis, so that I can try to ID some seedlings I have. They could be either, but I think some of the photos here are V. brasiliensis while others are V. bonariensis, and so I still don't know what I have.

    Thanks,
    Virginia
Plant Events from our members
Catmint20906 On May 24, 2015 Bloomed
Catmint20906 On May 2, 2015 Obtained plant
Trish On February 12, 2015 Seeds germinated
Trish On January 16, 2015 Obtained plant
Winter-sowed the seeds
got2b On July 21, 2015 Obtained plant
MunchkinsMom On May 12, 2016 Plant emerged
Oh goody, goody! It decided to re-grace me with it's presence, despite all the indignities I heaped on it by trying to eradicate it years ago. Happy it's back, and the butterflies are, too.
carlysuko On June 20, 2019 Obtained plant
Purchased from Annie's Annuals
carlysuko On January 10, 2018 Seeds sown
Put black plastic over top as seeds need darkness to germinate
christine2 On June 20, 2019 Obtained plant
1 BL
christine2 On June 1, 2008 Obtained plant
From Tim Amos, self seeds
antsinmypants On June 28, 2023 Bloomed
antsinmypants On March 23, 2021 Seeds sown
WS - Jug 42
piksihk On March 5, 2022 Seeds sown
old seeds 8/2006; left Clem VV along with verbena venosa and seeds from trade
Cobs On March 18, 2009 Obtained plant
Plants from Georgie. Various places in my garden now!
paleohunter On June 26, 2022 Seeds sown
WebTucker On May 10, 2023 Bloomed
dnrevel On June 14, 2023 Transplanted
Planted seedling at CSS Project Grow.
dnrevel From May 16, 2023 to May 17, 2023 Transplanted
Transplanted into earth box so it will grow on while we're on vacation.
dnrevel On April 10, 2023 Seeds germinated
Germinated in Dixie Cups in a WS Tote.
» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Gorgeous! by plantladylin Oct 17, 2016 12:40 AM 1
Untitled by mikedi Aug 6, 2017 4:29 PM 2

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