This herb with its sedative properties and small blue flowers is sacred to many cultures and was thought to be an important herb for the Druids 9x9cm pot (8cm depth)
Description
- Easy to grow
- Self-seeding
- Historically a magical herb
- Nectar for bees
Vervain appears to be on one of the most widely employed herbs medicinally and also has a long history of magical uses; the Druids are said to have used it for purification, the Romans for rekindling the fires of love and in the Middle Ages as a love potion and salve against the demons of disease. It is a slender herb with small lilac flowers born on leafless spikes.
Plant Care
- Height: 60-100cm
- Type: Hardy
- Aspect: Sun
- Soil: Any/alkaline
- Flower colour: Lilac
- Flowering period: July - September
A sun loving perennial, vervain is not difficult to grow and once established will form a decent clump. It can seed readily, preferring to pop up in all those odd nooks and crannies that other plants don’t grow in, so be prepared to dig and move seedlings if this happens. The flowering stems, if not harvested, can be cut back when they die in late summer; the leaves at the base usually stay green through winter.