Allow lemon verbena to go dormant during the winter. Lemon verbena can lose its leaves due to temperature change or transplanting, but that doesn’t mean the plant is dead; it may just be going dormant for the winter. During the plant’s dormancy, do not overwater—once a week is sufficient.
Does lemon verbena lose its leaves in winter?
Lemon verbena plants will lose their leaves in the winter, so don’t be alarmed when your plant goes bald. This is normal, especially when keeping verbena inside. Keep watering it about once a week and the leaves will return in the spring.
Does lemon verbena overwinter?
Maintenance: Lemon verbena is a tender perennial, hardy to about 22°F. Overwinter inside in a dark, cool basement or garage that doesn’t get above 55°F, or in a well-protected area outside, such as a shed, covered porch, or cold frame. Wait until the leaves have fallen from the plant to move indoors.
Does lemon verbena come back each year?
Lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora) is a woody shrub, and its narrow glossy leaves grow quickly in hot summer weather, replenishing as you harvest throughout the growing season.
How do I bring back lemon verbena?
The best time for cutting back lemon verbena is in spring, shortly after you see new growth. This is the main pruning of the year and will encourage new, bushy growth. Remove winter damage and dead stems down to ground level. Cut old, woody growth down to about 2 inches (5 cm.)
How do you take care of lemon verbena in the winter?
Lemon verbena typically drops its leaves when temperatures dip below 40 degrees F, entering dormancy. It’s possible to overwinter lemon verbena outdoors in zone 8 and warmer, but it’s wise to help plants harden off. To do this, reduce watering a few weeks prior to the typical onset of below-freezing temperatures.
What do you do with verbena in the winter?
In colder regions, protecting the roots with a generous mulch of straw or well-rotted manure will protect them from frost. Cut back Verbena bonariensis and other perennial verbenas in spring, removing the old stems of as new shoots start to show at the base of the plant.
Can verbena survive winter?
Overly severe fall pruning can reduce cold hardiness and plants may not survive a cold winter. Most verbenas are short-lived, so you should plan on replacing them after two or three years. However, some species can re-seed and naturalize in the garden.
Why is my lemon verbena dying?
Lemon verbena will die if its roots are continually wet. If you’re growing verbena in a pot, choose a large one. This should be least 12 inches in diameter for a young plant, though you need to be prepared to transplant up as the plant grows.
Can you overwinter verbena indoors?
But if you’d like to keep your tender perennials year after year, you can winterize your fuchsia, geranium or verbena plant to enjoy again in the spring by bringing it indoors.
Why do lemon verbena leaves turn yellow?
Why Does Verbena Leaves Turning Yellow? Verbena leaves that are yellowing can be caused by any one of several possibilities. Lack of nitrogen, too little sunlight, over-watering causing lack of oxygen through water logged soil or an iron deficiency. Powdery mildew is also a possibility.
How often do you water lemon verbena?
Monrovia Plant Catalog, recommends, watering your Lemon Verbena using the soak and dry method. What this means is to soak the soil so that the roots are saturated thoroughly, and then allow the plant’s soil to dry out before you water it again. You should re-water when the top 3 inches of soil have become dry.
Why is my lemon verbena so leggy?
Lemon verbena responds to pruning by producing new leaves at the whorl immediately below the cut rather than along the entire stem. As a result, this shrub can grow leggy. It requires regular pruning throughout the year to increase leaf production. Snip off leggy stems just above a leaf whorl.
Is lemon verbena Hardy?
Although it is a perennial herb, it is very sensitive to the cold, losing its leaves as temperatures approach freezing. The woody parts are more hardy and can withstand temperatures as low as -10ºC as long as the roots are kept dry.
Can you take cuttings from lemon verbena?
You can take lemon verbena cuttings in two ways: softwood or semi-ripe. Many swear by semi-ripe cuttings – which are taken in summer from stems where the base of the cutting is hard but the end is still soft – but I have only ever taken softwood cuttings in spring from new soft growth.
Is lemon verbena Evergreen?
Lemon verbena is a tender perennial that grows in zone 9-11. Books will tell you that lemon verbena is evergreen in frost free areas and deciduous in frost prone areas. But I can tell you that if you have even a hint of cold weather, it will drop all of its leaves immediately. If this happens to you, don’t panic.
Why is my verbena turning brown?
Heavily infected leaves turn brown and shrivel. Disease can be minimized by avoiding overcrowded spacing of plants and by carefully picking off affected leaves as soon as symptoms are evident.
Does verbena need to be cut back?
While verbena plants require less pruning than other herbs and perennials, they do need some occasional trimming to keep them neat and to encourage new growth. The most intense pruning will occur in early spring. In the summer, you can remove some of the height of the plant to encourage flowers to blossom.
Is verbena plant an annual or perennial?
About Verbena
Verbena, also known as vervain, is a long-blooming, heat-tolerant perennial or annual flower. Verbenas come in many colors and sizes; some grow up to 6 feet tall while other varieties are short ground covers that reach no higher than a foot. The tiny flowers are grouped into rounded clusters.
Can you overwinter annual verbena?
There are several methods for overwintering fuchsias, geraniums and verbena. The easiest is to bring the plants indoors before the first frost and treat them as house plants. They can be taken back outside once the danger of frost has passed. Choose a location in your home for your geraniums, fuchsias and verbena.
What temperature can verbena tolerate?
As the last frost of spring approaches, prune back the plant to stimulate new growth. After the last frost of spring has passed and nighttime temperatures are reliably above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you can move the container outdoors or replant the verbena in the garden.
Justin Shelton is a professional cook. He’s been in the industry for over 10 years, and he loves nothing more than creating delicious dishes for others to enjoy. Justin has worked in some of the best kitchens in the country, and he’s always looking for new challenges and ways to improve his craft. When he’s not cooking, Justin enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He loves exploring new restaurants and trying out different cuisines.