Blue Vervain
By Lise Fracalossi
Verbena hastata
Native to: All New England
Life cycle: Perennial
Light: Full/Partial Sun
Soil Moisture: Wet to Medium
Height: 2-5’
Spacing: 18-24"
Blooms: July-September
Bloom Color: blue
Natural Habitat: Wet meadows and edges of streams, rivers, and marshes.
Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Attracts Bees, Host Plant (eg. verbena moth, common buckeye butterfly), Compaction Tolerant, Low Maintenance, Fragrant
Verbena hastata makes for a great meadow planting when intermixed with other species. The tall blue/purple flower spikes stand above other plants and bloom for an extended period of time, from summer through fall.
– Native Plant Trust
Blue Vervain can offer a strong upright accent to any perennial garden or prairie/savanna. The small, tubular, blue-violet flowers bloom from the bottom up in July’s heat. The numerous crowning spikes of blossoms give a candelabra-like appearance to this graceful plant.
– Prairie Moon Nursery

Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)
Photo (and featured image) by NPS Staff - NPGallery, Public Domain