Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 11:18:06
-0400
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Verbena bonariensis
>on 7/18/02 3:28 PM, Stan,
Apple Valley/St. Paul, MN [44.44N, -93.10W] at
>stan1bb@frontiernet.net wrote:
>
>> Hi John:
>>
>> With your talking about the nectar in the verbena
>> bonariensis,
>> do you have hummingbirds, in addition to butterflies?
If
>> so,
>> how do your hummingbirds like the verbena bonariensis?
>
>Stan,
>
>Yes, the large gardens I care for are planted with many nectar
plants for
>butterflies and hummingbirds, and there are a very few things
that receive
>visits from both, like more than 20 varieties of Buddleia
davidii, Vitex
>agnus-castus, and Verbena bonariensis. Admittedly, most butterfly
plants
>don't produce enough nectar to satisfy hummingbirds, but if
there aren't a
>lot of other things available they sometimes visit them.
This summer I
have
>seen several hummingbirds feeding from V. bonariensis in the
one garden
that
>has fewer rich hummingbird nectar plants, but in the garden
that has good
>hummer plants everywhere, it isn't worth the energy they expend
for the
>small return.
>
>John MacGregor
>South Pasadena, CA 91030
>USDA zone 9 Sunset zones 21/23
John,
Just to chime in on Verbena bonarensis---I
have found it great for hummers,
super easy to grow, perennial here, and very nice-looking for
those
concerned with aesthetics. It's locally availalbe.
It's so good, I worry that it might get to be invasive. Does it reseed?
Miriam
=====================
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 08:34:17
-0700
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Verbena bonariensis
--- MiriamLDavey <athena_9@BELLSOUTH.NET> wrote:
> It's so good, I worry that
it might get to be
> invasive. Does it reseed?
I'm in z7 and it behaves as an
annual for me (dies
down, including roots). However, it reseeds like it's
the end of the world! Where I had one or two
nursery-bought plants last year, I have dozens and
dozens this year -- everywhere within 6 feet of the
original location -- even after selective removal of
hundreds of seedlings this spring. While I pulled out
all that were coming up directly on my stonedust path,
I left almost all on the margins and in the beds. Now,
that part of my front yard looks like a dense meadow
of chest-high verbena bonariensis. You literally have
to part the way to travel on the path.
Pulling the seedlings is easy
business. I find their
root system to be very shallow, at least when they're
young. Some I pulled were put elsewhere in the yard,
although they have a tendency to wilt with
transplanting.
Being a great see-through plant,
it grows well among
others and doesn't hinder the view.
I wouldn't find myself without
this plant, ever again.
The abundance of skippers that flit around makes you
cross-eyed.
Haji
=====
Haji Warf
Arlington, VA (1st suburb across the Potomac River from Washington,
DC)