Roses are red, my love, violets are blue, so the song or poem goes. On one of my days at Mixon’s home, I could not take my eyes off this incredible blue flower. There were patches here, mingles there and combinations that simply thrilled. A few weeks later, eastern tiger swallowtails were visiting the blue flowers. I might point out here that if we expect butterflies to visit a lantana, which is in the verbena family, we can certainly look for them on true verbenas, too!

Blue is a color that stands out like it’s electric. The conundrum here is that the plant I am touting is Superbena Violet Ice. Is violet blue like the song, with its flower description? It certainly is to me. I say that knowing full well that when I post this on my Facebook page with photos, many of my followers will be quick to say that it is not blue but purple. As they say, we have freedom of thought and speech. Maybe it is bluish-purple — but wait, that is violet.

Superbena Violet Ice looks blue to The Garden Guy, and I absolutely love it. It is an award winner with such recognitions as Top Performer at Michigan State University and Leader of the Pack (that would be Wolf Pack) at North Carolina State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum. You may be thinking, “Where does it get ‘ice’ from?” That is due to the white eye in the dead center of each floret. To me, it also develops a light frosty look as it matures.

Superbena Violet Ice can get about 12 inches tall with a potential spread to 30 inches. Fertile, well-drained soil and plenty of sun will have you in Superbena bliss. One other key technique to your happiness: cutting back. I usually wait until they get tired, but this year I have been cutting back while foliage is vibrant and healthy but with somewhat fewer blooms. I think that this has been a game-changer with quicker regrowth and blooms. I am in zone 8a, and I can usually get three years out of a Superbena, whether in containers or in the ground.

How you use it is certainly a matter of preference. One combination the Eden Estate Management team did was to create a dazzling layered look with Rockin Golden Delicious pineapple sage, Heart to Heart Burning Heart caladiums and Superbena Violet Ice at the front of the border. Then there was another area with a convergence of flowers that created a summerlike bouquet. It featured Luscious Marmalade and Luscious Golden Gate lantanas, Supertunia Lovie Dovie petunias, Zinnias and Superbena Whiteout and Superbena Violet Ice verbenas. The blue, or violet if you will, was the rock star of the combo.

There are 12, soon to be 13, colors in the Superbena series, with four selections in the compact Superbena Royale group. So you can see that finding one or two specific colors or varieties can be a little challenging. This I know: If you see Superbena Violet Ice, buy it, as it will thrill with color and butterflies wherever you use it.