Verbena Lanai Twister

Tall, narrow, sparsely-leafed stems bear flattened heads of bright lavender-purple flowers that provide useful height in a herbaceous border. This is a short-lived perennial, and because it is borderline hardy, plants may be damaged by winter frosts. This may be avoided by leaving the dead stalks until spring, when new growth is evident, before cutting them back. A protective mulch should be added around them in the autumn with leaf mould or compost. They do, however, self-seed liberally and resulting seedlings are stronger and more drought-tolerant than those that are transplanted. This is a superb butterfly plant, rivalling even buddleja.