Looking To Grow More Verbena? Take Softwood Or Semi-Ripe Cuttings From Existing Plants
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
IN THIS GUIDE
Verbenas are beautiful and wildlife-friendly plants for your garden.
Some are typically grown as annual bedding plants, while others are popular perennials which will bloom in your garden over several years.
If you have some verbenas in your garden and would like to grow more, you can collect seeds from your existing plants.
Many verbenas can also be successfully propagated by taking cuttings.
By taking cuttings, you can create clones of bedding types to keep them going through to the following year.
To propagate Verbena from cuttings, you can either take softwood cuttings in spring or early summer or semi-ripe cuttings a little later in the summer season, as I explain below.
Taking Softwood Cuttings
Firstly, you need to select a soft and flexible tip from a young non-flowering shoot.
You should prepare to take your cuttings early on a spring or summer day.
Take a clean, sharp pair of secateurs and cut off around 10cm of selected shoots, cutting just above a bud.
Trim the cutting just below a node (leaf joint) and remove the lower leaves.
Dip the end of the cutting in a rooting powder or liquid.
Taking care that the cuttings do not dry out, place them in a moist yet free-draining compost with added grit, around the edges of a pot or pots.
Place the cuttings in a cloche or cover them over completely to maintain humidity.
Cuttings should root within 2-4 weeks.
Gradually harden off the cuttings and pot them into individual pots, planting them out into the garden after the lost frost date in your area.
Taking Semi-Ripe Cuttings
Semi-ripe cuttings can be taken from more tender bedding verbenas in later summer or early autumn.
This can be the best way to ensure that you can continue to enjoy displays of flowers from these plants over more than one year.
Early morning is the best time to take cuttings.
Look for non-flowering shoots which are hardening towards the base but still soft at the tip.
Trim the cuttings just below a node and remove the lower leaves to leave around 4 leaves in place.
Again, make sure the cuttings do not dry out and plant them up as soon as possible.
Keep the young plants moist and pot them into individual pots once the cuttings have rooted well.
Overwinter under glass, ideally at a temperature of around 7°C in bright, frost-free conditions.
Start to harden off your young plants in May and place them out in the garden once all risk of frost has passed and the garden is warming up.
“If you do not have sufficient space to store overwintered Verbena, taking cuttings is the best way to ensure that you do not need to buy new plants the following year,” says Colin Skelly, a Master Horticulturist.
“Take more than you need as ‘insurance’ for any winter losses.”
Softwood cuttings may flower in the same year, while semi-ripe cuttings will typically flower the following year.