Groundcover · Sonoran native
Goodding's Verbena
Glandularia gooddingii · Verbenaceae
Also called: Desert Verbena, Goodding's Verbena, Southwestern Mock Vervain, Verbena gooddingii
Goodding's Verbena (Glandularia gooddingii) is a low-water groundcover native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It grows to 8-18 in H x 2-3 ft W, with a fast growth rate.
Goodding's Verbena at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun for best flowering and compact form; tolerates reflected heat. Light shade acceptable but reduces bloom.
- Mature size
- 8-18 in H x 2-3 ft W
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Lavender to lilac-pink (occasionally pale pink to lavender-blue)., Heaviest in spring (late winter through May), reblooming after rains and through fall; nearly year-round in favorable conditions.
- Cold hardiness
- Hardy to about 10-15°F (USDA zones 8-11); cold-hardy throughout the Tucson basin and often evergreen in mild winters.
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; thrives in sandy, gravelly, rocky, and alkaline native desert soils. Tolerates poor, lean ground; dislikes heavy, wet soils.
- Native range
- Native to the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of Arizona, southern Nevada, Utah, California, New Mexico, west Texas, and northern Mexico.
- Best used as
- Groundcover, Wildflower and pollinator gardens, Mass color plantings, Naturalized desert and revegetation areas, Borders and rock gardens
- Wildlife
- Outstanding butterfly nectar plant; also attracts bees and other native pollinators. A key spring nectar source in desert gardens.
- Toxicity
- Not known to be toxic; no significant toxicity reported for people or pets.
How to grow Goodding's Verbena in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Drought-tolerant once established but blooms longest with occasional deep irrigation (roughly every 1-2 weeks in summer heat). Tolerates dry spells; avoid keeping soil constantly wet.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Low needs; little to no fertilizer required in native soils. A light spring feeding can extend bloom but is generally unnecessary.
Pruning & care
Shear back lightly after the main bloom flush to remove spent flowers, refresh the mound, and stimulate rebloom. A harder cutback in late summer rejuvenates leggy, tired plants. Often short-lived (2-3 years) but reseeds.
Notes
A native, fast-growing, mounding-to-spreading perennial groundcover covered with showy lavender flower clusters, especially in spring. One of the best native verbenas for Tucson color and pollinators. Often behaves as a short-lived perennial that reseeds itself; shearing prolongs vigor and bloom. Reclassified from Verbena gooddingii to Glandularia gooddingii.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; AMWUA 'Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert'; Tohono Chul / Tucson Botanical Gardens