by Gareth Austin

An absolute magnet in my garden this past week for butterflies has been the Purple Top Verbene, or Verbena Bonariensis to give it a more formal name. 

This upright summer flowering perennial has been a busy landing pad for butterflies and bees, with them stopping by frequently to use their long tongues to get down into the tubular shaped flowers – and the kids have been loving watching all the comings and goings.

Easily sourced in any garden centre these Verbena are great fillers for shrub beds, a wonderful compliment to larger flowering plants such as Dahlias or Roses and when planted will grow for many years and if left unpruned, will seed through the garden with little offspring popping up here and there.

My own are flowering at around 2m in height at the side of the path, with flowers appearing from 1m up leaving the kids to get up, close and personal with all the visitors.

A great addition to any family garden!

Article by

Gareth Austin MSc. MCI Hort

Gareth Austin Horticultural & Media Services

Providing professional horticultural solutions for a challenging world

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