Pink Cashmere will put a happy face in your garden and landscaping on a torrid summer
There is nothing quite like Pink Cashmere to put the happy face on a summer that has turned oppressive from heat and humidity. No, this is not part of The Garden Guy’s latest watering wardrobe, but a new Superbena verbena making its debut in 2024.
The past three years Superbena verbenas have steadily climbed the lists of most popular butterfly plants at The Garden Guy’s house. Varieties like Cobalt, Stormburst, Whiteout and Royal Chambray can hold their own with a lantana any day of the week when it comes to bringing in pollinators.
Immediately Pink Cashmere showed it had that same habit and toughness that we’ve come to expect with Superbena verbenas. Mine were planted in April and are performing like an award winner as we turn toward August.
Pink Cashmere is kind of an apple blossom color with shades of dark and light pink and some white florets. The blooms are large and the foliage vigorous and disease free. Best of all, these blooms are always shown affection from hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies like Eastern Tiger and Spicebush Swallowtails.
The plants will reach about 12 inches tall and have the potential of a 30-inch spread. This means you can use them as a floral carpet-like groundcover, have it tumble over walls, the rim of containers and plummet from baskets.
Tips for planting and care
When you get yours next spring choose a location with plenty of sunlight. The soil should be fertile, organic rich and drain freely. This is why they are so easy to grow in containers since you use potting soil. Prepared landscape mixes and planting on raised beds help duplicate this environment in the landscape.
Space your plants 10-to14-inches apart if you are going to plant an informal drift or sweep in the landscape. Use an application of controlled release granules at planting again in mid-summer.
Those that I received for trial purposes were used in window boxes and containers. Controlled release granules were used at planting and then a switch to water-soluble feeding since watering is a daily regimen.
One growing technique that has proven itself time and again both when I was with Mississippi State University and in my own garden is proactively cutting back. In the hot humid south, we go through those times when verbenas look tired, open and generally unproductive.
This is a great time to cut back by a third and feed with a water-soluble fertilizer. Generating new growth means more of those incredible blossoms. In containers The Garden Guy likes to feed with a dilute water-soluble mix about every two weeks. The response is almost magical.
Put some pink in your garden
Superbena Pink Cashmere offers so many plant partnership possibilities. In my containers I partnered with the new yellow Supertunia Saffron Finch petunia also making its debut in 2024. There is something special about the soft yellow and pink together.
In the window box we used Superbena Pink Cashmere verbena, with Unplugged So Blue salvia, Supertunia Saffron Finch petunia, Supertunia Mini Vista Sweet Sangria and Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo petunias which turned out nothing short of stunning.
The Garden Guy has always been a flaming orange kind of guy but Superbena Pink Cashmere has convinced me I need some pink in my garden too. I imagine it will be a competitive spring at the garden center so get ready to elbow your way to the table where Superbena Pink Cashmere will be on display.
Follow Norman Winter on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration. See more columns by Norman at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/home-garden/.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Garden Guy highlights a new variety of Superbena verbena Pink Cashmere
