My homestead purples are so prolific they are almost invasive. I'm in zone 8. Amend the soil and mulch well. Mine love running aross the top of the thick mat of pinestraw.

I'm in 7b, and have same experience as mcrean1. The homestead purples are just beginning to green up now. Once started, they spread like wildfire and I find it necessary to cut them back to keep them from taking over. Mine are in beds with amended soil, mulched with pine straw and in full sun.

My grandmother had huge drifts of Homestead Purple years ago. It was almost unstoppable, but what a blooming machine!

I had a fabulous patch of V. peruviana many years ago that was stunning in full bloom. It finally died out due to too much shade. Even if it never bloomed, a mature mat of those closely knit, ground hugging leaves is attractive. The plant is outstanding if you can make it happy.

In fact Homestead Purple was discovered here in GA.

For me, in 7a, it has been almost invasive. If I don't control it, it will take over! Were you growing it in full sun?

The Athens select Ron Deal is nice to and seems to stay more in check. Its more of a blue purple

This is so strange - I appear unable to make this plant thrive in its home state when others find it borderline invasive. So I guess I will try again. Thanks everyone!

Elizabeth,

You can get Homestead Purple Verbena for a reasonable price at Grower's Outlet. $1.50 for 5" pots. That way, if it doesn't take it will not be so painful (other than disappointment). Thought I would bring them up in case you haven't heard about Grower's Outlet.

Click on Plant Availability Tab to see what they have in stock.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grower's Outlet

Sorry Elisabeth for spelling error in previous post.

Has anyone transplanted it? I planted some last year and it grew so fast, it quickly took over the area. I have a steep bank that I'd like to use it for and was wondering if it can be easily transplanted rather than killing off what I have and buying new?

For me, you can almost stick your cuttings in the ground! Not really, but the cuttings rooted very easily, both in water and with root hormone and potting soil.

If you allow the spreading verbena to come into direct contact with soil, it will put down roots. You can cut these away from the mother plant and transplant. I also found it easy to propagate cuttings dusted with root hormone stuck into plain potting soil.

thanks, Opal, for reminding me about Growers Outlet. I tend to forget, but it's not that far from me.

It goes crazy for me in beds with relatively loose soil and is non-stop perennial in my garden under those conditions. It actually died out though in one area of super hard compacted clay but I think that was a pretty tough spot for anything to grow.

Someone mentioned Ron Deal which seems to be more informal and upright and I also heartily recommend:

and a vivid red variety called Taylortown Red. Shown below in a bed I intend to fill in. It has a similar habit to Homestead Purple though may not spread as far as fast.

There's one called Homestead Pink (I think that's simply it's market name and not an actual variety) that does not seem to be as tough or spread as much as the others but still grows well in some of my beds.

Squirrellypete