Verbena bonariensis

You know this plant, and for good reason: Verbena bonariensis is one of the greatest all-purpose, make-the-garden-look-good plants around. Also known as tall verbena, purpletop vervain, or Brazilian verbena, it sends airy branching stems 3–5' tall above a tidy basal mound, topped with violet-purple flower clusters from late spring into fall.

This easy perennial adds height, movement, and see-through color without blocking the view, making it brilliant in cottage gardens, pollinator plantings, cutting gardens, meadow-style borders, and mixed perennial beds. Bees go wild for the nectar-rich blooms, butterflies visit constantly, and finches may enjoy the seeds later in the season. The long stems also add a light, natural texture to fresh flower arrangements.

Plant Verbena bonariensis in full sun with well-drained soil. Prune back the first spring shoots to encourage branching, then enjoy months of effortless bloom. It reseeds easily where happy.

The narrow stems are part of its genius: you can see straight through them to roses, grasses, dahlias, and other substantial neighbors. Let it repeat through a border rather than confining it to one clump, then explore more nectar-rich choices in our Perennials for Pollinators collection.

We guarantee that the plants we sell are healthy and viable at the time they leave our care.

If a plant arrives in substandard condition, please take clear photographs and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. To ensure eligibility under this guarantee, we strongly encourage you to open and unpack your shipment immediately upon delivery and inspect the plants thoroughly.

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Standard live-plant shipping to eligible destinations is $16.99 for 1–6 plants, $22.99 for 7–12, $28.99 for 13–18, $34.99 for 19–24, and $40.99 for 25–30. For 31 or more plants, shipping is 20% of the order value. Expedited shipping is priced separately at checkout.

(AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV)
(list of states subject to change seasonally due to extreme heat or cold conditions)

We cannot ship Annie's Annuals plants to P.O. boxes or outside the continental U.S.

Individual plants are shipped in 4" pots and we ship in boxes of 4, 6, 8, or 12 plants per box.

For more details, read our full Ordering and Shipping Policies

Get your plants off to a strong start with our care guide.

Download the Plant Care Guide (PDF)