Is it possible to dig up verbena for the winter, how to keep it at home until spring
A flowering plant with the beautiful name of verbena is rightfully considered a decoration of a garden, vegetable garden or balcony. But how to save and whether it is possible to dig up vervain for the winter, we will figure it out. The flower has more than 200 varieties, among which there are both annuals and perennials.
Long research of the plant by breeders led to the creation of a new species, creeping or ampelous verbena. This type of flower is a decoration of a garden plot and is often used in design solutions.
Can you dig up vervain for the winter?
Verbena is a tropical, thermophilic plant, while some flower varieties can easily tolerate light frosts. If the region has mild winters with positive indicators, then it is enough to insulate the flower bushes with straw, sawdust or dry foliage. But in the central part of the country, winters are harsh and beautiful, the delicate flower will die. Therefore, to save your beloved pet, you need to carefully dig it up and send it to winter until spring.
How to keep verbena in winter?
The excavated cuttings of garden verbena are sent to storage in dark, cool basements, cellars or outbuildings. You can also transplant the dug out bushes into pots.
Verbena in pots and flowerpots will be perfectly preserved in the winter at home, if you follow the following rules:
- In late autumn, before the onset of the first frost, the flowers should be transplanted into pots and containers, and brought into the room.
- Cut the shoots halfway from the stems.
- If inflorescences appear during wintering, they are removed.
- Actively developing shoots are constantly pruned.
- The air temperature must be cool, otherwise the flowers will begin an active vegetative period.
- At the end of winter, they are cut short and transplanted into fresh soil.
In this way, the overwintered plant becomes stronger, and with its luxurious inflorescences will delight much earlier than its counterparts, planted and grown from seeds.
When and how to dig up the plant?
In order to preserve your favorite flower in winter, in late autumn it is necessary to cut the bushes by about 1/3 and carefully dig them up. A large earthy clod must necessarily remain on the root system. Throughout the entire storage period, it is necessary to slightly moisten the roots of the cuttings.
A plant preserved in this way will serve as an excellent material for propagation by cuttings and obtaining new seedlings, which in spring can be planted on a land plot, in a garden or vegetable garden.
Room preparation
For the safety of the dug verbena cuttings, the room should be cool, well-ventilated, without unnecessary light sources. And for flowers that are transplanted into containers and pots, any room in a house or apartment with good ventilation, humidity and lighting is suitable.
Temperature and lighting
Flowers overwintering in pots and containers should be in a well-lit room; the south side of the house or apartment is best suited for accommodating flora representatives. The room where the flowers are located should not be very heated, the average temperature for vervain wintering is from 10 to 15 degrees. Otherwise, the plant wakes up to actively grow and bloom.
If it is not possible to create the necessary conditions, you need to carefully monitor the plant and avoid an active vegetative phase.
Trimming
During the winter period, the plants must be pruned. The first pruning is done in late autumn, before digging up or replanting a flower for wintering.
The next time the cuttings are cut before planting. But the plants that have wintered in pots and flowerpots must be pruned throughout the winter.
Outdoor transplant
The cuttings stored in the cellar are planted in new soil and transferred to a heated room at the end of February. After a long winter, vervain needs a lot of light and heat. The flower quickly comes out of hibernation and begins to actively grow and develop. As soon as the temperature regime is restored, and the frost is over, the vervain can be safely transplanted into the open ground.
Plants that overwintered in the greenhouse conditions of a house or apartment are planted in open ground without preliminary preparation.
The ampel variety of verbena can not be transplanted, but left in a flowerpot or container. Beautiful, spreading whips of a flower will adorn any garden plot, gazebos or alpine hills.
Don't forget that verbena is a gentle, tropical plant that needs a lot of warmth and sun.
