help identify this plant

jon1981

Hi,

The landscaper put this plant in this summer and no idea what it is , it's quite long and dangly with some flowers at the end. It seems to be bending over with it's own wait of the stem. Any ideas on how I should trim this back and when? Oh and what it is?

thanks!

looksee

That is verbena bonariensis - it grows like that, it can look very elegant standing airily over a well planted border, or in a pebble bed. It does not usually fall over like that, it stands very well, but we have had an exceptionally windy summer and it could be in a wind tunnel.

It does not really look like a good choice for that area, I guess the person planting it up just selected an assortment of pink and purple plants without reference to their growing habits.

It will continue to seed itself for several years, and is easy, but that situation does not appear to be right for it.

jon1981

looksee wrote: »

That is verbena bonariensis - it grows like that, it can look very elegant standing airily over a well planted border, or in a pebble bed. It does not usually fall over like that, it stands very well, but we have had an exceptionally windy summer and it could be in a wind tunnel.

It does not really look like a good choice for that area, I guess the person planting it up just selected an assortment of pink and purple plants without reference to their growing habits.

It will continue to seed itself for several years, and is easy, but that situation does not appear to be right for it.

Thanks, yeah I was thinking that it was struggling to standup alright. I'm wondering what to do with it. Should I cut it down and keep it short? Actually i know where he should have put it, we have a wall that's kind of in a sheltered area that has a flower bed in front of it, adjacent to our kitchen window. It would have looked nice there in retrospect!

looksee

Maybe give us a photo of the entire border, and tell us which way it is facing / how much sun does it get, and we can offer suggestions about planting.

looksee

jon1981 wrote: »

Thanks, yeah I was thinking that it was struggling to standup alright. I'm wondering what to do with it. Should I cut it down and keep it short?

No, that is how it grows! If you cut it down it will not flower shorter.

looksee

jon1981 wrote: »

Thanks, yeah I was thinking that it was struggling to standup alright. I'm wondering what to do with it. Should I cut it down and keep it short? Actually i know where he should have put it, we have a wall that's kind of in a sheltered area that has a flower bed in front of it, adjacent to our kitchen window. It would have looked nice there in retrospect!

Well you can move it no problem, wait till it has finished flowering, cut it down and move it.

Edit - of course if you cut off the ripe seed heads it will not re-seed in the new area, which it really needs to as it is a fairly short lived plant but continues on from the seedlings. Maybe shake the ripe (dry) seeds into the new area.

jon1981

1st photo is where it is planted now. The garden is south facing and that area is the end of the garden.



2nd photo is area adjacent to the kitchen window. That area is the start of the garden along the right border of the garden.

jon1981

looksee wrote: »

Edit - of course if you cut off the ripe seed heads it will not re-seed in the new area, which it really needs to as it is a fairly short lived plant but continues on from the seedlings. Maybe shake the ripe (dry) seeds into the new area.

Oh right, so is there a chance to seeds will spread everywhere and this plant will cover that whole area?

looksee

It does spread fairly enthusiastically, you will find new little plants - which you can move if you wish.