How to Control the Blooming Period of Fine-Leaf Verbena? A Full Explanation of the Methods

I. Blooming Time

In fact, the blooming period of fine-leaf verbena is not short; by rough count it lasts about eight months, starting in April and ending in November.

II. Control Methods

The method we generally adopt is pinching, which allows us to control the blooming period very conveniently. Besides this, pinching has other effects as well, including making its branches multiply and maintaining its shape.

III. Specific Steps

1. First, determine when you want it to bloom. This can be said to be our fundamental goal; only after setting this time can we then determine the timing of the subsequent operations.

2. Pinch it 23-25 days in advance.

3. After that, place it in a spot with ample light and tend to it carefully.

IV. Points to Note

Although this plant itself has a relatively long blooming period, the flowers may have already faded by the time you need them. So at a certain necessary moment we must prepare in advance, so that it can bloom on schedule when needed.

If, for instance, we need to put it on display at National Day, then we can set our last pinching treatment to be carried out between September 5 and 8. In addition, if we need to see it bloom on July 1, then we can carry out the last pinching treatment on June 6 or 9. So the general rule is to pinch one month beforehand.

But in fact this is not fixed either; different varieties require different pinching times to control the peak blooming period. For example, in the city of Zhengzhou, for our white fine-leaf verbena the time needed from pinching to blooming is 23 days, while for the pink one the time is 24 days, for the rose-red one it takes a few days less, at 21 days, for the bright red one the time needed is 22 days, and for the purple one the time needed is 23 days. We can adjust the pinching time according to the actual situation.