Growing Under The Sun: A Botanical Expedition

      Verbena  is a genus of mostly American origins. It has become much more popular over the past several years, particularly in regard to the breeding of bedding material. A genus renowned for its drought tolerance and love of xeric conditions it's found itself center stage as the new poster boy for summer bedding plants alongside classics such as petunias and zinnias. Texas heat certainty is a killer, summers can range from hot and dry too hot and humid, conditions that cause many more traditional bedding plants to turn up the ghost. Verbenas, however, relish such hellish arrangements. Verbena x hybrida , is the most familiar of the genus, being the one of bedding fame. A mat forming plant, older cultivars had some grace and still held a loose naturalistic look weariest newer varieties have become rather blocky and are artificial in appearance. This gardener thinks not and retches at the site of these cubes.  Recent years have seen a new player enter the bed...