CHECK AVAILABILITY

FIRST IMPRESSION:  This upland Verbena is happy in tough, dry conditions.  Grey green leaves and upright growth, along with a long blooming season, make these attractive in any landscape.

HABITAT & HARDINESS:  This species thrives in dry and average well-drained soils.  It is found in prairies, thickets, fields and is drought tolerant, preferring medium to dry sandy, rocky or clay soils with good drainage. The native range goes across much of the US and southern Canada.

PLANT DESCRIPTION:  Coarsely-toothed oval leaves are usually stalkless and covered with whitish hairs giving it a gray-green appearance. Leaves have pinnate venation and also a reticulated network of smaller veins.  The purple flowers bloom from the bottom up in upright spikes up to 8 inches long from mid to late summer.

CULTURAL & MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  Plants often form colonies in the wild by self-seeding.  In garden situations, tip pruning or deadheading can prevent excessive seeding and encourage a branched bushier form.

LANDSCAPE USES:  This is a good choice for a Drought Tolerant Garden, Rock Garden, Coastal Garden, Pollinator and Bird Garden, Dry Meadow or Naturalized Area.

TRIVIA:  Verbena stricta is a host plant for butterflies, including the common buckeye butterfly.  Also, the seeds are a wildlife food source for birds and small mammals.