• Potted Verbena rigida with purple flowers on a wooden surface with a blurred green background
  • Small potted Verbena Rigida with purple flowers on a blurred background
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Verbena Rigida

Verbena Rigida

Purple Vervain

$15.00
$15.00
Sale Sold out
Taxes included.
Pot Size/Grade

Verbena rigida is a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial that produces masses of vibrant purple flower clusters from summer through autumn. With its low-growing, spreading habit and exceptionally long flowering season, this versatile plant is perfect for cottage gardens, borders, pollinator gardens and mass planting.

Unlike the taller Verbena bonariensis, Verbena rigida forms a dense carpet of foliage and flowers, making it ideal for filling gaps, softening edges and creating colourful drifts throughout the garden. Its nectar-rich blooms are highly attractive to bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, ensuring plenty of garden activity throughout the warmer months.

Why You'll Love Verbena rigida

  • Masses of vibrant purple flowers
  • Long flowering season from summer through autumn
  • Excellent drought tolerance once established
  • Attracts bees, butterflies and pollinators
  • Great for borders and mass planting
  • Spreads to form colourful groundcover
  • Handles heat and dry conditions well
  • Easy-care and low maintenance

  • Expected 5 Year Height 0.6 M Width 0.6 M

Is Verbena Rigida suitable for my garden?

Verbena Rigida is best suited in a position that gets

  • Full sun

Verbena Rigida is

  • Drought resistant once established
  • Perennial
  • Wind Tolerant
  • Frost Tolerant
  • Flowering
  • Attracts pollinators
  • Cold hardy

Verbena Rigida will thrive in soil that is

  • Free draining
  • Sandy
  • Stoney

How to establish your Verbena Rigida?

Plant Verbena rigida in a full sun position for the best flowering display.

The more sunlight it receives, the more flowers it will produce and the more compact the growth habit will be.

How to maintain your Verbena Rigida once established?

Water regularly during establishment.

Once established, Verbena rigida is highly drought tolerant and generally only requires watering during prolonged dry periods.

Overwatering can reduce flowering and encourage weak growth.

Verbena rigida is not a heavy feeder.

For best results:

Apply compost in spring.
Use a light application of balanced fertiliser if needed.
Avoid excessive fertiliser, which can result in lush foliage and fewer flowers.

Removing spent flowers can:

Extend the flowering season
Encourage fresh blooms
Maintain a tidy appearance

However, the plant will often continue flowering well even without regular deadheading.

Pruning
During the Growing Season
Lightly trim plants if they become untidy.
Remove damaged or broken stems as required.
Late Winter to Early Spring
Cut old growth back to near ground level.
Remove any frost-damaged foliage.
New growth will emerge quickly as temperatures warm.
Managing Spread

Verbena rigida spreads through underground rhizomes and may slowly expand over time.

This makes it excellent for:

Filling garden spaces
Creating drifts of colour
Naturalistic planting schemes

Unwanted shoots can be easily removed if required.

Verbena rigida tolerates moderate frosts and often dies back partially during winter.

In colder areas:

Apply mulch around the crown.
Leave old growth in place until spring.
Cut back once new growth begins to emerge.
Growing in Containers

Verbena rigida performs well in pots and containers.

For best results:

Use a premium free-draining potting mix.
Position in full sun.
Water when the soil becomes dry.
Feed lightly during spring and summer.
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