Plant record

Tall Verbena

Verbena bonariensis

Tall verbena is a transparent curtain of purple. It lets the bed breathe while pollinators work through it.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusVerbenaVerbenaceae
Species anchorVerbena bonariensisThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score89/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Start indoors 8 to 12 weeks before last frost; germination can be uneven.

Transplant after frost into an edge or corner.

Space-saving method: grow with stake support.

Plant intelligence

Use on a corner or outside edge where tall open stems will not shade young crops.

pollinatorbeneficial insectvertical

Lifecycle: tender perennial

Habit: airy tall annualized perennial

Height: 36-72 inches

Spread: 18-24 inches

Germination: 14-28 days

Sow depth: 0 inches

Bloom: summer, fall

Attracts: butterflies, bees, beneficial insects

Record score

89/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Verbena bonariensis in Verbenaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness86multi-square crop with stake support.
Timing and care depth922 planting windows, 55F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90high pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificVerbena bonariensisFamilyVerbenaceaeLookup namesTall Verbena, Verbena bonariensis, purpletop vervain, tall verbena

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit2 squares per plant
86Use on a corner or outside edge where tall open stems will not shade young crops. Support: stake.
Season behaviortender
92Indoor start. Transplant. One main planting.
Care loadlow water
74Tall open stems can shade small seedlings if placed badly. May self-sow in mild pockets. Soil minimum 55F.
Bed ecosystem rolepollinator, beneficial insect
90high pollinator value; purple, lavender.
Variety depth2 options
88The straight species is tall and transparent; compact strains are easier in small beds.

Species and variety notes

The straight species is tall and transparent; compact strains are easier in small beds.

Lollipopcultivar
100small-bed fit

A better small-space verbena than the full-height species.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

compact, pollinator, edge plant90-110 days24-30 inches tall
Straight Speciesspecies
46small-bed fit

Use only where height and self-sowing are acceptable.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

tall, butterfly plant, transparent90-115 days48-72 inches tall

Companions

tomato, zinnia, cosmos, pepper

Cautions

Tall open stems can shade small seedlings if placed badly.

May self-sow in mild pockets.

External enrichment

Cached name: Verbena bonariensis. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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