Are verbena frost tolerant

Answer 1

Verbena is a common name that applies to all species of the genus Verbena. The genus features many different species in cultivation which hail from a wide range of climates. There has been a tremendous amount of breeding with these plants due to their natural drought resistance, which makes them fine sources of color in water conservative landscapes. This extensive hybridizing has resulted in a complex ancestry for most cultivated forms. Most will fall into one of two groups divided primarily by their frost hardiness.

Bedding Verbenas The most common garden verbena are hybrids descended from tender South American species that have been repeatedly crossed for a wide range of color and flower characteristics. They are treated as annuals in the garden and are hardy to USDA zone 9-15. They are replaced each year everywhere but in the tropics. Their low cascading character is a valuable source of summer color as groundcover or trailing off pots.

Hardy Verbenas This group of truly perennial verbenas known as vervain hail from cooler northern climates. They are usually hardy to USDA Zones 4-7, but some individual cultivars may prove more sensitive. The most commonly cultivated are derived from Verbena canadensis crossed with other North American native species. These offer similar flowers and habit on a more long lived plant that makes a fine groundcover. This form is not often used in containers or as mass bedding color. It is preferred in rock gardens, banks, and to fill in spaces between stepping stones.