What to Plant with Verbena: A Guide to Companion Planting

Verbena is a popular flowering plant known for its showy clusters of colorful blooms With its mounding growth habit and tolerance for heat and drought, it makes an excellent addition to garden beds, borders, and containers When planting verbena, consideration should be given to selecting appropriate companion plants that will enhance the visual appeal, growth, and pest resistance of your garden. This article provides a guide to the best companion plant pairings for verbena.

Why Companion Planting?

Companion planting refers to the practice of strategically planting different plants together in close proximity so they can benefit each other. The right plant pairings can attract pollinators, repel pests, maximize space, enhance flavors, improve soil quality, and create visual interest in the garden. Here are some key benefits of companion planting with verbena:

• Pest control Certain plants can repel or confuse pests that commonly affect verbena like spider mites, aphids and Japanese beetles. Garlic, onions, marigolds, and nasturtiums are good examples.

• Enhanced pollination: Plants like lavender, salvia, daisies, and butterflies attract pollinating insects like bees to the garden. This benefits verbena and increases yields.

• Soil enrichment: Pairing verbena with nitrogen-fixing plants like beans or dynamic accumulators like comfrey helps improve soil nutrition.

• Complimentary aesthetics: Combining plants with diverse colors, textures, and forms creates dynamic visual displays.

Best Companion Plants for Verbena

When selecting companion plants for verbena, consider factors like sunlight needs, water requirements, height, and bloom time. Here are some excellent candidates:

1. Marigolds

Marigolds are one of the most versatile and easy-to-grow companion plants for verbena. Their pungent scent deters nematodes, aphids, beetles, and other pests, reducing damage to verbena. The colorful marigold blooms, in shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown, also provide a striking contrast to verbena’s bright purple, pink, or white flowers. Choose compact marigold varieties like ‘Petite’ series for containers.

2. Lavender

With its sweet fragrance and purple blooms, lavender makes a beautiful companion for verbena. It thrives in hot, dry conditions similar to verbena. Planting lavender around verbena can help repel rabbits, deer, and pests. The two plants also look stunning together, with lavender’s cool hues and verbena’s warm tones. Go for compact lavender cultivars like ‘Munstead’ or ‘Hidcote’.

3. Nasturtium

No verbena garden is complete without the addition of edible, trailing nasturtiums. Their bright, funnel-shaped flowers in shades of orange, yellow, red, and mahogany add bold pops of color. Nasturtiums also deter aphids, beetles, and other pests from attacking verbena. You can even eat their tangy leaves and peppery flower buds! Try planting the dwarf ‘Alaska’ mix for containers.

4. Cosmos

Cosmos make excellent companion plants for verbena, with their delicate, daisy-like flowers on tall, slender stems. They come in lovely shades like white, pink, magenta, and crimson that complement verbena’s colors. Cosmos attract ladybugs, lacewings, and other beneficial insects that prey on verbena’s pests. Good compact varieties include ‘Sonata Mix’ and ‘Picotee’.

5. Lobelia

For a beautiful edging effect, plant trailing lobelia around verbena plants. This shade-loving plant bears tiny flowers in blue, white, or purple, creating a cascade of color. Lobelia thrives in moist soil, so it helps conserve water around thirsty verbena. Try the heat-tolerant ‘Hot’ series or trailing ‘Regatta’ types.

6. Petunias

No list of verbena companions is complete without petunias. Their trumpet-shaped blooms come in a diverse range of colors from burgundy and pink to bi-colors that complement verbena’s hues. Petunias and verbenas both thrive in sunny spots with well-drained soil. Together, they make stunning container plantings or garden beds. Try wave petunias or ‘Supertunia Mini’ types.

7. Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum is a delicate annual with abundant clusters of tiny white, purple, or pink flowers and a honey-like fragrance. It grows well around the base of verbena, creating a carpet of color. Alyssum also attracts hoverflies and other beneficial insects that control pests on verbenas. Good varieties include ‘Carpet of Snow’ and ‘Easter Basket Mix’.

8. Zinnias

For a bright, bold pairing, grow zinnias alongside verbena. These heat and drought-tolerant annuals produce abundant, vividly colored flowers in almost every shade. Dwarf zinnia varieties like ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ or ‘Magellan Coral’ make great container plantings with verbena. Zinnias also attract pollinators like butterflies and bees to your garden.

9. Salvia

With their spires of color and nectar-rich blooms, salvias are magnets for pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. Their drought tolerance makes them ideal companions for verbena. Salvia’s fragrant leaves and flowers also deter pests like whiteflies, aphids, and Japanese beetles. Try planting purple ‘Indigo Spires’ or red ‘Red Hot Sally’ near verbenas.

10. Geraniums

Finally, fragran, carefree geraniums complement verbenas beautifully. Their umbels of red, pink, white, or purple flowers blend nicely with verbena. Geraniums thrive in hot, dry weather and help repel Japanese beetles. Plant zonal or ivy geraniums like ‘Caliente’ or ‘Patriot White’ around verbenas.

Tips for Companion Planting with Verbena

• When planting verbena with companions, make sure they have similar sunlight, soil, and water needs for optimal growth.

• Pay attention to the mature size of plants so taller ones don’t block light from reaching shorter verbena varieties.

• Time the planting so both blooms at the same time for maximum visual impact.

• Repeat plant groupings in different parts of the garden for consistency.

• Use trellises, arbors, edges and containers to delineate separate plant groupings.

• Amend soil with compost or organic fertilizer to nourish companion plants.

• Mulch beds to retain moisture and reduce weeds that compete with companion plants.

• Remove faded blooms and prune wayward growth to encourage new flushes of flowers.

By combining verbena with the right companion plants, you can create a thriving, pest-resilient flower garden with season-long color. Marigolds, lavender, salvia, zinnias, lobelia, petunias, and other plants highlighted here make excellent partners for verbena. Pay attention to sunlight, water and size needs when designing your verbena companion planting scheme. With a balanced, biodiverse garden, your verbenas and their neighbors will flourish!