Goodding’s verbena is a perennial ground cover found primarily in Arizona, but it grows across much of the southwest. It has charming lavender flowers and is tougher than it looks. Here’s how to grow and care for this native desert wildflower.
Goodding’s verbena (Verbena gooddingii) is a dainty-looking wildflower that wouldn’t look out of place in a cottage garden. But in fact, it’s a tough perennial that’s native to parts of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.
Plants have fuzzy, scalloped, green-gray leaves and fragrant flowers that are a particularly lovely shade of lavender.
Goodding’s verbena may look delicate, but it’s a surprisingly resilient plant that easily handles the desert’s temperature extremes. In its native habitat, it grows in full sun and survives on as little as 4 to 13 inches of annual rainfall.
Plants require minimal maintenance. And while they sometimes reseed, they are never so prolific as to become a nuisance.
Goodding’s verbena is an important source of nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and other insect pollinators.
Why I Like This Plant
- Charming flowers spring through fall
- Stays evergreen in mild winters
- Extremely low maintenance
- No thorns, low-litter, non-toxic
- Important food source for pollinators
Things to Watch Out For
Goodding’s verbena is at its best in spring and fall, and can look a little scruffy during the heat of the summer. Its appearance can be improved by dead-heading spent flowers.
It is relatively short-lived, generally lasting around 3 years or so. However, plants readily reseed, forming small colonies when they’ve found a conducive spot. Here’s what the seedlings look like, so you know what to let grow.
If you have trouble with rabbits, consider protecting new plants. Rabbits sometimes nibble on young leaves, but usually leave mature plants alone.
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a Goodding’s verbena to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep your plant healthy and looking good.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Goodding’s verbena should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 11. It tolerates both desert heat and cold. Plants can survive temperatures down to 0℉ but die back after hard freezes.
In the heat of the summer, flowering tapers off and plants sometimes go dormant, especially if they don’t receive supplemental water. Plants can remain evergreen and flower all year during mild winters.
Sun Exposure
Plant Goodding’s verbena where it will receive either full sun or part shade, but not where it receives reflected heat or is in full shade.
Size and Growth Rate
Goodding’s verbena grows moderately fast. When fully grown, it forms an attractive mound, typically 1 foot tall by 1 to 3 feet wide.
Soil
In its natural habitat, Goodding’s verbena grows in sandy or rocky soil, but in the garden, it tolerates any desert soil, provided it’s well-draining. Plants can develop root rot in poorly draining soil.
Other Location Considerations
Goodding’s verbena has no thorns, stickers, or irritating hairs. Because plants are “unarmed,” non-toxic, and litter-free, you can feel comfortable placing them near a pool, sidewalk, or anywhere they might come in contact with pets or people.
Their soft mounds and delicate color provide a nice contrast to boulders and spiky desert plants, and make a great addition to rock gardens or as an edging plant.
Goodding’s Verbena:
The Essentials
| Common Name | Goodding’s verbena |
| Scientific Name | Verbena gooddingii |
| Origin | Mojave, Sonoran Deserts |
| Plant Type | Perennial ground cover |
| USDA Zones | Zones 8 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 0℉ |
| Flower Color | Lavender |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 1′ high x 1-3’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part sun |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Pests & Diseases | Root rot |
| Garden Friendly | No thorns, low litter, non-toxic |
| Wildlife | Attracts butterflies, moths, hummingbirds |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting any ground cover in the desert is to dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper.
Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
When to Plant
The best time to plant Goodding’s verbena is in the fall. This gives it three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives it time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
How to Care for Goodding’s Verbena
Whether you’ve recently planted a Goodding’s verbena or have an existing one in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water
During the first growing season, give it about ½ gallon of water once a week while it’s establishing its root system.
The University of Arizona recommends watering newly planted ground covers every 2 to 3 days for the first 2 to 4 weeks. After that, water once a week for the next two weeks, and then every 10 – 14 days after that.
During the winter, while it is dormant, it may not need any water, provided you’ve had winter rains. If not, water every 3 to 6 weeks.
How much water you should give your plant with each watering depends on the diameter of your plant and will change as it grows. You can use this chart as a guide.
| 1′ diameter | .5 gallons |
| 2′ diameter | 2 gallons |
| 3′ diameter | 3.5 gallons |
Should You Fertilize?
Goodding’s verbena does not need to be fertilized. As a native plant, it has evolved to get all the nutrients it needs from desert soil.
How to Prune
It’s recommended that you cut Goodding’s verbena back to a few inches in the summer after its burst of spring blooms is over to stimulate new growth and flowers.
You can trim away any cold damage in the spring as soon as new growth appears.
Deadheading spent flowers encourages continuous flowering. However, wait until flowers have gone to seed if you want volunteers in your garden.
You can also collect seeds to sow in the fall if you want to start new colonies. You can learn more about growing wildflowers from seed here.
Don’t Confuse Goodding’s Verbena With…
Goodding’s verbena is easily confused with a few other ground covers with lavender flowers. It looks a lot like two other desert verbenas — sandpaper verbena (Glandularia rigida) and moss verbena (Glandularia pulchella).
It also looks trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis), to which it’s not related.
Plant Lover Facts
Goodding’s verbena goes by many other common names including desert vervain, southwestern mock vervain, pink verbena, southwestern vervain, and Mojave verbena.
Goodding’s verbena predominantly grows in Arizona, but its large natural range extends into arid regions of California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and parts of northern Mexico.
You may see this plant referred to as either Glandularia gooddingii or Verbena gooddingii. Glandularia is the current official genus name.
You may wonder about the meaning behind the unusual species name gooddingii. There are several southwest desert plants with this species name. They are named after Leslie Newton Goodding, an American botanist and authority on southwestern plants.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for over 15 years.
Photo Credit
Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons