Found in the wild in prairies and along pathways, common vervain (Verbena officinalis) is a herb of 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm) whose flowered tips and dried leaves go into infusions and flavour dishes. Give it full sun and light, well-drained soil, and it will flower from early summer to early autumn, ready for picking fresh or dried.
| Name | Verbena officinalis |
|---|---|
| Family | Verbenaceae |
| Type | perennial, grown as an annual |
| Height | 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | light, well-drained |
| Flowering | from early summer to early autumn |
Spring is the best season to sow medicinal verbena.
Medicinal verbena is a very hardy plant that requires sun. It thrives in light soil, rather poor but cool in summer.
You can start your covered sowing early in early spring and mid-spring or directly in the ground starting from late spring, after any risk of freezing has disappeared.
If you’ve got a few seeds left over, sow them in bare spots of your vegetable patch, they’ll grow and attract pollinating insects there.
The only true enemies of common vervain are slugs, a bane in spring.
From the first covered sowing to the last picking, medicinal verbena follows a short and predictable calendar. Here is what happens when, and what each stage asks of you.
| Stage | When | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing under cover | early spring and mid-spring | Keep a minimum of 60°F (15°C); broadcast and cover lightly with seedling soil mix |
| Planting out | Around late spring | Transplant once the last frosts have passed, in a sunny spot with light soil |
| Flowering | early summer to early autumn | Deadhead regularly to keep new flowers coming |
| Harvesting | late spring to early autumn, mid-autumn in warm climates | Collect the flowers often and use them fresh or dried |
| Pulling out | After the first autumn frosts | Remove the plant, since the next year’s bloom will be poor |
Feeding at the end of summer is the one optional step, and it can rekindle the blooming.
Medicinal verbena, although it’s a perennial, is grown as an annual.
Common vervain is a plant that requires little care but some attention must be given in order to extend the blooming for a while.
After the first fall frost spells, you can pull your medicinal verbena out; the following year’s blooming will be insignificant.
That is the time to common vervain flowers and leaves for your winter herbal tea.
Since it is vulnerable to aphid attacks, read up on how to treat against aphids if need be.
However, you won’t have any caterpillar problems due to large white, since it’s a repellent. Plant verbena near cabbage to protect your harvest!
Also called the Venus herb, common vervain has long been used for its medicinal properties.
Harvesting common vervain is most often performed from late spring to early autumn, or even mid-autumn in warmer climates.
The flowers are the plant part that are collected from medicinal verbena, and they can be used both fresh or dried.
Collect flowers often during the vegetation phase, when flowers appear and use them as needs as needs arise or condition them for storage.
Medicinal verbena, also called common vervain, is a herbaceous perennial plant that is grown just like an annual, except if you can provide shelter from freezing winters.
It can grow up to 8 or 16 inches (20 to 40 cm) tall and the flowered tips and dried leaves are what is used for its health benefits.
It can easily be found in the wild, in prairies or along pathways, and it’s used for both herbal infusions and to flavor dishes.
Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla, Aloysia citriodora) is the species most used to prepare herbal tea from, but it is a different species altogether.
Feel free to water abundantly in warm weather.
