The first time I laid eyes on Verbena lilacina (common name Lilac Verbena), I was thumbing through the book California Native Plants for the Garden by Carol Bornstein et al., and there it was, on page 192.  It was truly love at first sight.  Those luscious mounds of purple flowers.   The mention of the words "fragrant" and "butterflies."  Ah...but where to find this gem?  I'd never seen it at the nurseries I frequent, nor in a garden for that matter.  Finally, a few months later, I picked it up at a native plant sale and by "plant sale," I mean one of those where you are outside the gate among the crowd planning your strategy, and when the gates open, you RUN to get your treasures.  

   Hailing from Cedros Island, off the coast of Baja California, this gorgeous evergreen subshrub offers a lot for very little.  Don't let the potted plant size fool you-Lilac Verbena grows very rapidly to a 3' tall mound, with a width of 3-6' feet.  Except for the very coldest months, it is usually covered with tiny, powerfully fragrant purple blossoms, especially if the sun is warming it overhead.  With a little deadheading and a mild winter, it can bloom year round.  I usually site this shrub along paths and near entries to the home for a welcoming, jasmine-like fragrance in the garden.  You'll need to share it though, because butterflies are attracted to the flowers as well, so it's always busy nearby.  Luckily, deer are said to be uninterested in it.  

   Lilac Verbena looks best with summer water, especially in our hot summer temperatures, and should be planted in full sun.  Like many of our native plants, it prefers good drainage.  I've found it to be easy to grow in every garden where I've used it.  

   I have found over the years that Lilac Verbena is short-lived, usually peaking by its third year, and declining after that.  I think it literally blooms itself to death.   However, given its fast growth rate, and gifts of long bloom time, butterfly attracting properties, and heavenly fragrance, I feel it's more than worth the effort to have it and replace it as needed.