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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
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Verbena hastata (Blue or Common Vervain)
Found naturally in meadows, floodplains, and swamps (and sometimes called swamp vervain), this native* blooms throughout the summer and into autumn, longer than most other perennials. Historically thought to be a cure for many ailments, it is still used for medicinal purposes today.
*It is native to DC, MD, and PA and common throughout DE. In VA, it is frequent in the mountains, infrequent in the Piedmont, and rare in the Coastal Plain. It is native to NoVA except for Arlington County.
Video © Mary Free
This video shows the flowers of Verbena hastata in July and its developing seed heads and nutlets in September along with some of the pollinators and other insects that visit this plant.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets