{"id":7486,"date":"2026-11-11T20:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T20:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=7486"},"modified":"2026-11-11T20:10:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T20:10:29","slug":"starting-verbena-bonariensis-from-seed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/starting-verbena-bonariensis-from-seed\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting Verbena Bonariensis from Seed: Grower Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf38 Quick take:<\/strong> Verbena bonariensis (Purpletop Vervain)<\/strong> is an airy, drought-tolerant architectural perennial beloved by pollinators, but starting it from seed tests many gardeners’ patience. In this forum thread, northern and mid-latitude growers share real-world timelines: seeds require strict surface-sowing<\/strong> (need light to germinate), take 5 to 7 days to pop, but produce very slow-growing early seedlings. In colder zones (USDA 4-5), home-saved seed often fails to mature, though some growers successfully overwinter crown roots under insulated rose covers. Read grower tips \u2193<\/a>
\nPhoto: Katya iz Kieva.<\/div>\n

Starting Verbena Bonariensis: Sowing Dates, Seed Saving, and Winter Hardiness<\/h2>\n
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Nadezhda 69 (Nadezhda) \u2b50 Pro Grower (1,650 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Orenburg, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Hey folks, has anyone here grown Verbena bonariensis? When do you normally start it indoors? The packet only came with 5 tiny seeds, and they are practically microscopic! How fast does it actually grow in the seedling stage?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Georginka (Olga) \u2b50 Pro Grower (18,925 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadezhda 69 wrote:<\/strong>
\nWhen do you normally start it indoors?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nadya, I sow Verbena bonariensis every single year. Always surface-sow, do not cover the seeds with dirt at all. I usually start mine in early March. Once up, they develop at an average pace just like standard annual flower starts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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lusi (Lyudmila) \u2b50 Active Member (662 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Bryansk, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Last season I started my verbena on February 9, and this year got them started on the 8th. Takes about 5 to 7 days to germinate.
\nGrowth is definitely on the slower side, and it blooms late, roughly mid-July all the way into October. Pro tip: always plant several stems close together in a clump. A lone single plant looks pretty sparse and spindly on its own.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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lusi (Lyudmila) \u2b50 Active Member (662 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Bryansk, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Georginka wrote:<\/strong>
\ndevelops at an average pace just like standard annual flower starts…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Funny, in my trays last spring verbena took its sweet time. My petunias were already growing like absolute beasts, while the verbena was still tiny little things. They were pretty small when I finally transplanted them into garden beds too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Nadezhda 69 (Nadezhda) \u2b50 Pro Grower (1,650 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Orenburg, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Thanks so much y’all! Since my shelf space under grow lights is limited, I won’t drag my feet and will get them started right away.
\nCan you collect viable seeds from it at the end of the season, or does our short summer cut it too close? As I understand it, it won’t survive our winters and is grown strictly as an annual here, right? Read somewhere online that folks dig up the root crowns in late fall, pot them up, and stash them in a cold cellar over the winter. Anyone ever tried that?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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lusi (Lyudmila) \u2b50 Active Member (662 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Bryansk, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadezhda 69 wrote:<\/strong>
\nCan you collect viable seeds from it…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I cut flower heads back in late September and dried them out indoors, but barely found any actual seeds inside, mostly just dry chaff. Honestly don’t even know if anything will sprout from that batch.
\nThat said, a grower friend over in Novosibirsk swears her seeds fully mature and she saves her own every year. Maybe my season was just off, or maybe the specific cultivar I grew (Vanity) is sterile or needs more heat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Georginka (Olga) \u2b50 Pro Grower (18,925 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadezhda 69 wrote:<\/strong>
\nshelf space under grow lights is limited…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mine stay directly under good LED grow lights, so they make steady progress. They pause for a brief moment after pricking out, but catch up quickly. By planting-out time, they are respectable, bushy little plants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Georginka (Olga) \u2b50 Pro Grower (18,925 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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lusi wrote:<\/strong>
\nmostly just dry chaff…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I crushed seedheads straight over garden soil one fall hoping for self-sown volunteers the following spring. Not a single green sprout ever came up! That’s why I just bite the bullet and order fresh seed every year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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opexovka (Roza) \u2b50 Pro Grower (1,286 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kazan, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 February 10, 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Nadya, I adore Verbena bonariensis! For some reason my seeds from our group order failed to germinate this season, so I ordered another packet online and am waiting on delivery.
\nIt is such a delicate, airy flower. I tuck it right in between my shrub roses and bundle it under the winter rose insulation covers in late fall. Believe it or not, it survived our Zone 4 winter completely intact last year! Totally caught me by surprise. We will see if it pulls off the same trick this spring.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Full Summary: Growing Verbena Bonariensis in Cold Climates<\/h2>\n