Cedros Island verbena offers bountiful blooms

This is one part in a weekly series featuring the UC Davis Arboretum’s “Garden Gems” series – 45 can’t-fail, easy-care, low-water plants well adapted to our region and that add sparkle to drought-tolerant landscapes.

Cedros Island verbena

Glandularia lilacina “De la Mina”

Size: Makes a mound 3 feet tall and wide.

Bloom season: Lavender flowers from spring through fall.

Exposure: Full sun.

Pruning needs: Tip prune when young to increase branching; cut back in late winter to encourage dense growth in spring and summer.

Water needs: Low; once established, irrigate deeply once or twice a month.

Snapshot: This shrubby evergreen perennial will become a favorite of pollinators in your low-water garden. From spring through fall, it’s covered with sweetly fragrant light purple flowers. It’s native to Cedros Island, off the coast of Baja California. Once established, it can go extended periods without water. It can take some cold, too; it’s hardy down to 25 degrees.

For more on “Garden Gems,” click on arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Cedros Island verbena offers bountiful blooms."