verbena bonariensis cuttings - when to plant out?

Michael540

I took 3 x successful leaf cuttings last autumn and over-wintered them in one pot in the conservatory. I have since potted them on in to individual pots and pinched them out to encourage bushy growth. They are now a good 8 inches tall and looking like they want to get out of my grow house.
Should I wait until any frost danger has passed before planting out in the border? Don't want to lose them to frost, but obviously the parent plant stay out all winter. Any advice from those that have navigated this already would be much appreciated.... 

Fairygirl

I'd wait a while. 
Unless you live somewhere warm, with free draining soil, and feel lucky.
You'll have to acclimatise them for a good while anyway before planting out- a good couple of weeks.
There's a big difference between the parent plant, and new youngsters who've been sheltered. 

Joyce Goldenlily

My verbena bonariensis seeds itself with gay abandon around my garden so I leave them until May then lift them and plant them where I want them to grow. Preferably in the flower garden and not the veg patch where they usually pop up.

Purplerain

I am in Scotland and they are tough plants. My self sown seeds are gasping to go out I noticed today. If we have another day or so of dry weather here I will plant them. It took me ages to germinate them a few years ago, but once you have got them and they like your soil they will pop up all over the place like weeds. I would say plant them out. They are gorgeous plants.

Michael540

Thanks so much for the 3 x swift replies.  Think I'll veer towards Fairygirl's suggestion and go cautious - I get quite attached to plants grown from cuttings (more so than seeds, not sure why?) so don't want to lose them to a late frost.

A couple of weeks of hardening off and think I'll pop them in the border mid-April.

That was my first post here, so I'll follow up with some more this spring. After the "gay abandon" and "gasping to go out" replies I shall definitely work on my levels of creativity in my next post!

Thanks again, Michael 

Fairygirl

@Michael540   - there's a vast difference between self seeders which are fully acclimatised, and cuttings which have been grown with protection. 
I don't often have them self seeding - too cold and wet. I take cuttings though - at almost any time from now onwards. If you do them when temps are a little higher, you can just shove them in a pot and then leave them outside to get on with it - including over winter. 
Nothing wrong with some gay abandon though, as long as Gay doesn't mind 

Michael540

Thanks @Fairygirl.

Think they're shaping up quite well - see attached!

Fairygirl

Yes - nice wee plants @Michael540. Give them a chance to harden off. They'll be grand 

Michael540

I've just planted them out in the border after hardening them off outside for the last couple of weeks. Fingers crossed they'll thrive and I'll take some more cuttings from them at the end of the summer.
Thanks for the advice and comments @Fairygirl @Purplerain and @JoyceGoldenlily.
Happy gardening!!

Fairygirl

Good stuff @Michael540
I just cut one back today, and used the bit as a cutting. They're quite amenable that way