Well, let me tell ya ’bout this amethyst verbena thing, alright? It ain’t rocket science, that’s for sure. It’s just a pretty little flower, purple like them fancy gems they got in the city.
First off, plantin’ it. You just stick it in the ground, not too deep, not too shallow. Like plantin’ taters, kinda, but gentler. You gotta give it some sun, though. Can’t grow nothin’ good in the shade, ya know? Just like us, these flowers, they need some sunshine to perk up.
Now, waterin’. Don’t drown the poor thing! It likes a good drink now and then, ‘specially when it’s hot out, but it don’t wanna swim. If it rains regular, like a good inch or so, you’re probably good. If it ain’t rainin’, you gotta give it a drink yourself. Not too much, not too little. Just enough to keep the dirt damp, like a wet sponge, not soppin’ wet.
- Sunlight: Plenty of it! Think of it like this, the more sun, the more them purdy purple flowers you gonna get.
- Water: Like I said, don’t drown it. Just keep the dirt damp.
- Dirt: Any ol’ dirt’ll do mostly, but if you wanna be fancy, mix in some of that compost stuff. Makes it grow real strong.
If you’re growin’ this verbena in a pot or one of them hangin’ baskets, well, that’s a bit different. You gotta water it more often, ’cause the dirt dries out quicker. And you gotta give it some food, too. But don’t go overboard with it. Just a little bit, now and then. Use that weak stuff, they call it “dilute” somethin’ or other. Don’t want to burn the roots.
Now, ’bout them flowers. When they start to look all wilted and sad, you gotta pinch ’em off. Yeah, just pinch ’em right off with your fingers. It don’t hurt the plant, it actually helps it. Makes it grow more flowers. And it looks nicer, too. Nobody wants a bunch of dead flowers hangin’ around.
And listen to this, after the first big bunch of flowers in the spring, you can trim it back a bit. Not too much, just a little. Like cuttin’ your hair, ya know? Just the ends. This makes it grow more, too. You can do this a couple, three times in the summer. Keeps it lookin’ good and full of flowers. And if it looks a little tired or droopy, give it some of that flower food I was talkin’ ’bout.
Some folks say you gotta deadhead some types and not others, but I say just pinch ’em all off when they look bad. Ain’t hurt nothin’. I mean, it’s all the same to me. A dead flower is a dead flower, right? Get rid of it, and the plant’ll make new ones. Simple as that.
Now, I ain’t no expert, mind you. But I’ve been growin’ flowers for a long time. And this amethyst verbena, it ain’t so different from the rest. Just give it some sun, some water, and a little bit of love. And it’ll give you plenty of purdy purple flowers in return. That’s a promise.
And another thing, don’t fret too much about it. Flowers are tough, they wanna grow. Just like weeds in the garden, they find a way, you know? Just do your best, and nature will take care of the rest. That’s what I always say. Just keep an eye on it and it will be fine, just like watchin’ over the chickens to make sure the fox don’t get them.
So, there ya have it. Everything you need to know about growin’ amethyst verbena. It ain’t hard, just gotta pay attention a little and use your common sense. And if you mess up, well, that’s alright too. You can always try again. Gardening is like life, ya know? You learn as you go. And sometimes you gotta pull out the weeds and start over. You just keep plantin’ seeds, and hope somethin’ good grows. That’s all there is to it.