Nodding Onion Gardens

Native Plant Nursery

Where Wildflowers Grow

Columbia Station, Ohio, USA
 
Verbena stricta - Hoary Vervain

Ohio Native Plant - Natural Range

Verbena stricta - Hoary Vervain


Visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website to view the natural range of Hoary Vervain.
Verbena stricta
Verbena stricta looking mighty fine!

Wildlife Significance - Verbena stricta 

Nectar Nourishes: green metallic bees, bee flies,  honeybees, bumblebees, little carpenter bees, cuckoo bees. leafcutter, long-horned bees. Also, numerous butterflies including the Common Buckeye, Painted Lady, a American Lady and Eastern Tailed-Blue. Also several Skippers including:Pecks. Fiery, Silver


Pollen Source - Short and long-tongue bees


Seed- Enjoyed by songbirds

Host Plant: For caterpillar of Verbena Moth and Fine-lined Swallow Moth

Specialist Bee -Verbena Bee collects pollen

Leaf texture - Rough, bitter and hairy leaves discourages mammals from grazing.


Deer - And other mamals tend to leave this native Ohio plant alone.


For detailed information on Hoary Vervain visit the Illinois Wildflower website
Small brown skipper with white and tan spots
Silver Spotted Skipper - Ken & Paula Korber
Hoary Vervain
Hoary Vervain

Seed Provenance - Verbena stricta - Hoary Vervain Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN - 2015 - Nodding Onion Gardens - 2017- Present
verbena stricta
Hoary Vervain - by Jim Wohl

Cultivation Information - Hoary Vervain



Height - 1 to 2ft
Flower Color -  Blue - Purple
Blooms - June -  September -
Soil - Dry sandy sites

Sun - Full to part sun
Drought - Handles drought well

Hardy Zone - 3 to 8


Family - Verbenaceae
young verbena
2017 - How did I manage not to take pictures when they were flowering??
Hoary Vervain seedling
Hoary Vervain seeds started Fevruary 2015 picture taken April 13, 2016
Propagation Notes - Hoary Vervain

Experiment Fall 2017 - Hoary Vervain seed was cold, moist stratified in fall of 2016 (yes this is correct) and forgotten. As an experiment it was planted indoors in the fall of 2017. Urika! They sprouted! As of January 1, 2018 they are thriving under florescent lamps.

Fall 2015  - 60 Days Cold/moist storage - We use damp vermiculite and store in refrigerator. If you have space plastic containers would  be more sustainable. Seeds need light to germinate, so don't cover them with soil. Use spray bottle to keep seeds moist before germination occurs.

Self-seeds easily - Considered weedy, however I have not noticed this as of fall of 2018

Harvesting seed - Seed matures late in the fall, wait until it is dark brown before collecting