Verbena hastata 'Blue Spires'

A tall, airy perennial with elegant purple-blue flower spikes—great for adding height and a slightly wild, natural look.

 

• Light Best in full sun. Tolerates light shade, but flowering is strongest with plenty of sun

• Watering Likes consistently moist soil, especially in dry spells. Unlike many verbenas, this one doesn’t enjoy drying out completely

• Soil Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Can handle heavier soils better than many perennials

• Feeding Not demanding—usually fine without extra feeding. A light mulch or compost in spring is plenty

• Support Can grow quite tall (often 1–1.5 m). In exposed spots, may need light staking to prevent flopping

• Pruning & maintenance Deadhead to prolong flowering. Leave some seed heads—they can self-seed naturally. Cut back in late autumn or early spring

• Hardiness Fully hardy and comes back each year. Dies down in winter

 

The Verbena hastata is a pollinator powerhouse. As part of the Verbena family, it’s excellent for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. It helps create a more balanced, thriving garden ecosystem. It has naturalistic beauty. Its upright spikes add movement and texture—great for a relaxed, meadow-style planting that feels less rigid and more calming. It supports biodiversity. The seeds and structure provide minor habitat value for insects and small wildlife. It has a long flowering season. Blooms from mid to late summer, giving you extended colour when many plants start fading. Low fuss, high reward. Once established, it’s easy to manage and integrates well with other perennials like echinacea and grasses.

 

A couple of tips: Don’t let it dry out too much—this is the main difference from drought-loving plants. If you don’t want it spreading, remove seed heads before they drop.