Should I cut back?

I planted these in November, now they are shooting both from the base and from all up the previous growth - hasn't been frosted at all. Should I cut it back down to the ground now (late Jan)?

Thanks, Julia

What to do with V.bonariensis???

Reply from Kathy C

Hi! I, too, have V. bonariensis growing (with buds!) in the middle of January - strange weather! There are a number of things you can do depending on when you want them to bloom, reseed, etc. Of course, any of the options listed below could be completely irrelevant if the weather turns very cold in Feb and March.
Option #1 - Leave them. V. bonariensis, as a general rule, are short-lived anyway. If it stays warm, they will flower early, produce seed early, and you could have loads of little plants dotted around the garden by late summer/early autumn. If it gets cold, they will die down and probably take a little longer than normal to flower in the growing season.
Option #2 - Cut them back. If you cut them back, and the weather stays warm, they will be a bit bushier and you will delay flowering until closer to the time they normally bloom. If it gets cold, however, you may want to protect the cut shoots with mulch at this could potentially damage the plant.
Either way, you will hopefully get to enjoy your plants at some point during the growing season. I planted mine in October 2006. They flowered, died down, and struggled to grow the following spring (they were in a spot that was a bit too shady). Fortunately, they self-seeded and I had plants popping up all over the garden. If yours flowered this past autumn, you might have a similar situation - lots of new plants even if the original ones don't survive cutting back or cold weather if it comes. Let me know what you decide to do - and if you have any seedlings in spring.

verbena bonariensis

Reply from Julia Safe

Thanks for the advice Kathy, I will have a think about what to do, as usual there is not necessarily a right answer to these things. I'll let you know what I decide and the results in due course!

Julia

Verbena update

Reply from Kathy C

Hi, Julia!
Just wondering how your Verbena are fairing. I ended up cutting mine back in early spring and they certainly didn't suffer for it! One is just starting to bloom (on the sunnier side of the garden). Hope yours are doing well!
Kathy C.