Verbena, a popular garden plant, brightens landscapes with vibrant blooms and attracts a variety of pollinators. These plants play a significant role in supporting local ecosystems. This article explores the characteristics that draw pollinators to verbena and offers guidance on cultivating a garden patch to maximize this attraction.
Why Verbena Attracts Pollinators
Verbena plants possess several features that appeal to pollinators. Their small flowers are grouped into dense clusters, providing easy access to nectar and pollen for foraging insects. These compact florets also serve as convenient landing platforms.
The plants are a rich source of nectar, a sugary liquid providing energy, and pollen, offering essential proteins and nutrients. Verbena varieties display a wide spectrum of colors, including purple, pink, white, red, and blue. These colors attract different pollinator species; purple and blue hues often appeal to bees, while pinks and reds draw butterflies and hummingbirds.
Many verbena varieties offer a long blooming period, often from late spring through to the first hard frost. This extended flowering season ensures a continuous food source for pollinators, particularly when other floral resources might be scarce. Some varieties, like Verbena rigida, also have a subtle fragrance, which can further aid in attracting pollinators.
Key Pollinators Drawn to Verbena
Verbena attracts a diverse range of pollinators. Bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, and various native bee species, are frequent visitors. They are drawn to the readily accessible nectar and pollen within the small florets, and the open structure of verbena flower clusters allows bees to easily land and forage.
Butterflies are particularly fond of verbena, often seen fluttering around the blooms. The flat, clustered flowers provide an ideal landing and resting spot for butterflies as they use their long proboscises to sip nectar. Common butterfly species observed on verbena include Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells, and Red Admirals. Tall varieties like Verbena bonariensis are noted as “butterfly magnets” due to their height and airy structure.
Hummingbirds also visit verbena, primarily for its nectar. While many verbena varieties have small, accessible flowers, some, such as Verbena bonariensis, produce tubular flowers that hummingbirds can efficiently access with their long beaks. Nocturnal moths, such as the White-lined Sphinx moth, may also be attracted to verbena, especially varieties with lighter-colored flowers that are more visible in low light. Hoverflies, which are beneficial insects, are another group found on verbena, contributing to garden biodiversity.
Cultivating a Pollinator-Friendly Verbena Patch
To maximize verbena’s attractiveness to pollinators, proper cultivation practices are beneficial. Verbena thrives in locations that receive ample sunlight, ideally at least six to eight hours of direct sun daily. Adequate sunlight promotes vigorous growth and abundant flowering, providing more resources for pollinators.
The plants prefer well-drained soil, and while they can tolerate some drought once established, moderate watering is important for optimal bloom production. Avoid overly wet conditions, as this can lead to root issues. When selecting varieties, single-flowered types are generally more beneficial than double-flowered ones, as their reproductive parts are more exposed, making nectar and pollen easier for pollinators to reach. Popular species like Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena) and Verbena rigida (slender vervain) are highly regarded for their pollinator appeal. Trailing verbena varieties are also effective for attracting pollinators in containers or as ground cover.
To create a diverse habitat, consider companion planting verbena with other pollinator-friendly plants that have similar light and soil requirements. This provides a wider range of food sources and extends the foraging season. Additionally, avoiding systemic pesticides is important, as these chemicals are absorbed by the plant and can make the pollen and nectar toxic to pollinators, even if the application was not directly on the insects. Deadheading spent flowers can encourage continuous blooming, ensuring a steady supply of nectar and pollen throughout the season.