LOVELY LANTANAS
No matter how hot it is where you live, lantanas can take it and keep on blooming.
In fact, they love blast furnace conditions.
There’s been a lot of lantana breeding — particularly in Texas, where they are essential plants for that buggy climate.
Lantanas are so soil-rich in pungent oils that virtually nothing will eat them.
That’s a big benefit for those with rabbits and deer too.
The chief enemy is frost, so lantanas are considered annuals in temperate climates. Where frost is minimal, they become longlived perennials.
Here are some basics before you buy lantanas to brighten up your dry garden for the summer:
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Explore available flower colour
Bush lantanas produce flower clusters that are unique. This is one of the few plants that produces flowers of vastly different colours on the same stem. As a result, breeding has produced some amazing combinations.
Bright reds and rich oranges are the original hot colours of old bush lantanas. But hot hues aren’t for every garden. Lots of hot colour isn’t always beloved in the heat of summer.
Varieties that feature hot or soft pinks are among the loveliest up close.
They blend into a cottage garden scheme better than the common red/ orange group.
These pastel hues are at home with drought-resistant perennials without overwhelming them.
Solid flower colour lantanas are subtler. A good example are yellow lantanas. Some are bright lemon yellow while others are creamier looking, and still more a much darker gold hue.
Although all yellows may appear identical to the untrained eye, when blended with other colours they are distinctly different. The yellow-flowered variety you choose can make or break that planting composition.
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Use them to fill out garden gaps
In a hot, dry year, reconsider lantanas and all their new forms and colours to fill gaps where drought has taken older plants.
Use them to fill in between succulents and cacti until they reach larger sizes.
Plant them in pots on your patio, porch or balcony.
Then sit back and watch butterflies and hummingbirds pollinate up close and personal all summer long.