How to Grow Blue Vervain Verbena Hastata
Blue Vervain Facts
Blue Vervain, or Verbena Hastata is a tall perennial herb with spiked purple flowers. This native plant typically grows about 4’ tall, but I’ve grown them well over 6’ (2m). They love full sun and can thrive in a variety of conditions. Pollinators love them, and the blooms are long lived. They often do well in wet conditions as well, as I’ve often encountered them growing at the edge of ponds. But, it isn’t uncommon to find them growing in the middle of a field or meadow with no standing water nearby. Allegedly cows can pass the seeds through digestion, so birds probably do the same. This will help them spread quite a bit.
I’ve not had any trouble with disease or pests on these plants. Nothing seems to bother them, and the only thing I see visiting are bees and butterflies. This is an all-around easy, beautiful plant to grow. I’ve read that others have occasional rabbit damage, but this has never been a problem in my garden.
My testimonial
So, although this plant mainly grows along ponds, etc. I have witnessed it in pastures on top of hills with no visible spring or water source. So, I tried growing six of these in my backyard micro prairie. And…..they flourished. I don’t know if it was my super simple compost, or just dumb luck. But they grew 6′ (2m) tall. They were happy-happy-happy in the full sun rocky-clay. They would make a great tall border plant, or a focal point of a wildflower garden or micro prairie. Be sure to check out how to make your own micro-prairie here, as it is key to bringing in the most wildlife to your yard.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom, where we have a thorough reference table summarizing all relevant information on this flower for growing and characteristics.
Does Blue Vervain make a good cut flower?
Blue Vervain is an excellent cut flower. It makes great ‘filler’ in bouquets. So, if you have a variety of flowers that overlap in bloom times, you can make a beautiful bouquet, using this to fill gaps, etc. We have cut flowers nearly all summer, and make some stunning bouquets with Echinacea, False Sunflower, and others – but mixing in Blue Vervain. The clusters of small purple spikes add interest and really fill out the bouquet.
DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT FOR LATER:
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Growing Requirements
This plant needs full sun to reach its full potential, but a bit of shade won’t hurt it too much. More sun will equal more blooms though. Since it is a native perennial, if you mimic the conditions it prefers, then it will require minimal care.
The first time I grew this plant I had six in front of some Monarda/BeeBalm. And the taller Vervain being located in front of the bee balm meant that they had almost all available sunlight. These plants quickly shot up to 6’ tall, so I wasn’t able to enjoy my bee balm as much as I would have liked ☹. But, no worries. I plant to relocate them to the back of the garden this Spring!
Growing from seed
Germinating Blue Vervain from seed is really easy. I’ve had high germination rates with the following simple method…..put them on top of bare soil or in pots. And do this in winter, or very early Spring. That’s it. This seed needs light to germinate, so covering it with dirt will likely prevent germination/sprouting. Just keep the seeds moist, but not wet. Mother nature will do the rest.
How to harvest Blue Vervain seed
This is one of the easiest seeds to harvest. All you have to do is wait until the purple spikes turn brown/dry a bit. Then, snip off the spikes and store them in a paper bag in a cool/dry place for at least a week. After a week has gone by, you just need to hold the base of the spike with one hand, lightly pinch the base with your thumb/index finger of your other hand and move in a motion going from the base to the ends. The seeds will just fall off with almost no chaff. This is really one of the easiest, and cleanest seeds to harvest. You can then store them somewhere cool/dry in envelopes, baggies, etc.
Is Blue Vervain edible?
Per the USDA, it has been used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments (cough/fever, etc). However, too much of this plant can cause diarrhea. Additionally it is said that this plant can interfere with your blood pressure medication – so I would not recommend eating it. In fact, I would suggest that you just avoid consuming it. Better to let the doctors or pharmacy treat any ailments you have….
Faunal associations
This is one plant that the rabbits and deer seem to avoid. I have never seen any damage to them, unlike many other nearby plants. I’ve also not seen any pests that really damage this plant, and it seems to be very hardy all around.
But pollinators love this plant. Since the flowers start at the bottom of the spike and bloom upward over time, you are sure to have plenty of visitors for a long time.
Reference Table
| Common Name | Blue Vervain |
| Scientific name | Verbena Hastata |
| Bloom Time | Mid-Summer, July/August |
| Bloom Duration | Long, 4 weeks or more |
| Color | Dark Blue / Purple |
| Bloom Size | Tall spiked flowers at the top of the plant. 4-6” spikes |
| Characteristics | Narrow, clustered spikes of dark blue/purple |
| Height | Typically 4’, but up to 6’ |
| Spacing/Spread | 2’ (60cm) |
| Light Requirements | Full sun, partial shade |
| Soil Types | Almost any – very adaptable. Does well in my clay soil |
| Moisture | Moist to medium |
| Maintenance | Minimal |
| Typical Use | Borders, along ponds, back of a flower bed |
| Fauna Associations | Bees, Butterflies. Songbirds eat the seeds. |
| Larval Host | Common Buckeye |
| Sowing Depth | Surface |
| Stratification | 60 days for a good germination rate |
| Native Range | East of the Rocky Mountains |
| Notes | Makes a great cut flower |
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About The Author
Thank you for the information! I too have a rather large vervain ~5 ft in my wildflower/pollinator garden. Now that it is fall, should I cut it back at all? It has stopped blooming and is very sad looking. Or should I just leave it for the winter. I’m in 6a.
I tend to leave most of my plants up, as you may have some native insects overwinter in the stem. I tend to not cut anything back until the Spring, once the temperatures are warming up and I can see insects flying around. I assume that they are all leaving dormancy by then.
But you can leave it up or cut it back. It will make no difference to the plant. You might get some volunteer seedlings in the Spring either way. These aren’t always the longest lived perennials.