Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
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Welcome to the ultimate beginner gardening and garden design forum! Where no gardening question is too silly or obvious. This online gardening forum is run by Lee Burkhill, the Garden Ninja from BBC 1's Garden Rescue and a trusted group of experienced gardeners.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, it's a safe place to ask garden-related questions for garden design or planting. If you have a problem in your garden or need help, this is the Garden Forum for you!
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Quote from CathyCrochet on 6th July 2023, 12:04 pm
Hello! New forum member, complete novice gardener and big Garden Ninja fan here; hoping for some advice.
A friend kindly gave me 20 verbena bonariensis seedlings which she dug up from her garden. They're very small at the moment, about 5cm tall. I've put them in small individual pots and they seem happy for now.
I can't plant them in their final spot yet, because I have planted courgettes in the flower beds this year (wow, courgette plants are bigger than I expected!).
My question is, should I plant my baby verbena out in the autumn after I've cleared the beds? Or would it be better to overwinter them in pots and plant them out next spring? And is there anything I should be doing to look after them in the meantime?
Many thanks in advance for any advice.
Hello! New forum member, complete novice gardener and big Garden Ninja fan here; hoping for some advice.
A friend kindly gave me 20 verbena bonariensis seedlings which she dug up from her garden. They're very small at the moment, about 5cm tall. I've put them in small individual pots and they seem happy for now.
I can't plant them in their final spot yet, because I have planted courgettes in the flower beds this year (wow, courgette plants are bigger than I expected!).
My question is, should I plant my baby verbena out in the autumn after I've cleared the beds? Or would it be better to overwinter them in pots and plant them out next spring? And is there anything I should be doing to look after them in the meantime?
Thanks for asking about your seedlings. This is a super common question!
Verbena bonariensis is a wonderful later summer tall perennial that has light airy purple flowers and rarely needs staking. I grow it and use it across most my garden designs for that reason.
My advice with any herbaceous perennial seedlings is to get them into the ground this year. Don’t wait and try and over winter them. The reason being is they often dry out and die. Getting them into the ground means they can establish their root system now ready for next year.
https://youtu.be/Z_QqwySxpTc
Don’t be surprised with Verbena if they seem to disappear as well. They tend to out on load of growth around May time each year and then rocket up. A lot of people think they have died but they haven’t they’re super tough! Leave the flowers to go to seed each year and you’ll never run out of them!
Or follow my seed sowing guide below if you want to grow other plants under glass to bulk up your flower beds.
Thanks for asking about your seedlings. This is a super common question!
Verbena bonariensis is a wonderful later summer tall perennial that has light airy purple flowers and rarely needs staking. I grow it and use it across most my garden designs for that reason.
My advice with any herbaceous perennial seedlings is to get them into the ground this year. Don’t wait and try and over winter them. The reason being is they often dry out and die. Getting them into the ground means they can establish their root system now ready for next year.
Don’t be surprised with Verbena if they seem to disappear as well. They tend to out on load of growth around May time each year and then rocket up. A lot of people think they have died but they haven’t they’re super tough! Leave the flowers to go to seed each year and you’ll never run out of them!
Or follow my seed sowing guide below if you want to grow other plants under glass to bulk up your flower beds.
Quote from CathyCrochet on 8th July 2023, 12:01 pm
Brilliant, thanks Lee! Really appreciate your super helpful advice, not only here but across all your platforms. As a beginner I always find your down to earth approach so accessible and easy to understand; thank you!
Brilliant, thanks Lee! Really appreciate your super helpful advice, not only here but across all your platforms. As a beginner I always find your down to earth approach so accessible and easy to understand; thank you!
Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
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