For the past three weeks I've been on the lookout for my favorite lantana. I've been stopping at every garden center and nursery I pass trying to find it. Yesterday I stopped at five places and had no luck at all. Today I was in a different part of town and checked one of the garden centers and they had just received a shipment of it! I was so happy to finally have my lantana, actually I was quite giddy about it even making up a stupid little song in the car, (thankfully no one was with me so I could be silly without embarrassing myself)! It obviously doesn't take much to make me happy! Lantana is one of my must have plants for my butterfly garden. Here is one reason why:
The hummingbird, (Clearwing), moths love them, as do the butterflies and the hummingbirds.
I wish they were as common here as they are in the south or I wish I could grow them myself so I didn't have to search high and low for them each spring.
I also did something today that I hate to do and that is take advantage of plant warranties. I feel so silly taking dead plants back to the store. I had two Knock Out roses, (out of seven), that didn't make it and two Dwarf Alberta spruces- that is about $40.00 worth of plants, so I felt like I just had to. Last year I had two Alberta spruces that died and I didn't return them I just replaced them making sure to keep the receipts in case it happened again. It did. I've planted four others that have done well, I'm not sure why these keep dying. I'm not replacing them this time, I'll use the credit for something else. I did replace the Knock Out rose, but I just bought one large healthier one rather than two smaller ones that didn't look very good to me.
I got the five lantanas planted this evening, it was still too wet to plant the rose, hopefully I can do that tomorrow.
Edited to say: These are archive pictures from the lantana that was in my garden last year. The lantana that I selected yesterday only had buds and no blooms yet, so I didn't take a picture of it. Sorry for the confusion.
24 comments:
The lantana is really pretty. I think I'll add some to my butterfly garden. It's so nice when you track down a specific plant that you've been looking for.
I knew you were looking. So glad you found the particular one you wanted. Beautiful pictures. I've never had any luck growing them and they run about $4.95 a plant here but so worth it.
Robin - I'm so glad to see you got your Lantana and apparently the hummingbirds are glad, too! It's so interesting to me because they are as common as petunias here. But I share your love for them, especially the confetti variety. They are so cheerful with their color combinations. And good for you for using the warranties. That's what they are there for after all. Good luck with the new rose. I've yet to try them.
We lost several plants this year as well. Yesterday we picked out replacements so today will be planting time again. And we never can go in and buy only replacements, can we? We always come home with much more than we planned.
That one is a beauty, Robin! I love the one with yellow-variegated foliage and yellow flowers and simply couldn't resist it this year, either. Wonder if the hummingbirds will like yellow as well?
Beautiful! I almost posted a purple lantana that I photographed in Arizona for my Mother's Day post!
Did you say butterflies love it!!!
You know where I heading for today!!
Robin:Wishing you a wonderful Mother's Day!hugs NG
I don't blame you for being "giddy". It's well worth your effort, looks as though you were rewarded well.
Hey, I just got back from buying lantana, among other things, at a garden nursery. Great minds must think alike!
Brenda
Wish I could grow it here Robin - not enough sun. They always have lots of that one at the nursery down the street. There are usually a couple of big beautiful lantana hanging baskets with that one in our tiny downtown too - not surprising since they get the baskets from the nursery down the street. I eye it longingly, then head for the shade section.
Hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!
I can't find the colorful lantana I prefer either! Only solid yellow, boring! I'll keep looking, just like you did. I still need chocolate mint, a new lavender plant, lemon verbena, and other assorted goodies. Isn't it wonderful?
Not being able to find my favorite varieties in the nurseries has prompted me to start many things from seed that I never would have thought of growing.
Love the colors on that Lantana!
It's a beautiful lantana Robin. I marvel at the astonishing bloom they give us all summer long. I am going to look for this moth visiting the lantana I've chosen...He visited the monarda, but I didn't notice it anywhere else! Lovely photos...Happy Mother's Day to you. gail
Happy Mother's Day to you, your mother, and your mother-in-law. Hope your father is doing well.
Just had to add another note here Robin, because today I found my perfect lantana. Actually, two! I got Ham and Eggs, which looks like yours, and Carlos with a bit brighter color. I also got my aforementioned chocolate mint and lavender, but still no lemon verbena. What else did I get? Helenium Mardi Gras, Passionflower, and a gorgeous variageted New Guinea Impatiens. The perfect Mother's day!
Until I saw your photos of lantana, I thought lantana flowers were white! Shows how little I know :). I have planted cuttings of white-flowered lantana and hope to propagate many of them. I like this flower too! Gururaj
It is so neat to finally find that plant you've been looking for. I would be giddy too!!!
Lantana is one of my favorites (I think I say that about every plant) I also found one of my favorites this year - Confetti.
I also am trying a variety - Miss Huff- that's suppose to be the only perennial lantana in my area.
The pictures are great!
Glad you found the one you were looking for, Robin. I found four different ones yesterday, including this one. My favourites are those with red and orange and hot pink in their colour combinations (not necessarily all together, of course).
Isn't that the sunset Lantana? LOVE IT!!!! I am going to get mine on Friday. We are under frost warnings tonight. I found some wonderful buys today at local growers. SOOO EXCITED To get some verbena in larger six packs for $1.50 each. I think I am going to use this 'wine and cheese ' variety under my dogwood tree. Can't wait to blog about it.
LOVE LOVE LOVE your garden. Keep in touch dear friend. IT is always a blessing to get a comment from you on my blog.
Oh and it's so lovely too! It reminds me of the popsicles I loved as a child. My lantana is a soft lavender color. Maybe I should get some of your variety to complement it.
Cindy
I love Lantanas Robin. There is one called Samantha that has variegated leaves and yellow flowers. In one season it grew to be about 4 feet across and about 2-3 feet tall. This was an annual!! Am thinking about getting another of that variety, though I do like the ones that have the reds, yellows and pinks in their bloom. The butterflies and hummingbirds go wild!
I am having a problem with your feed, both in my Google reader list as well as 'blogs I am following' on my sidebar. Is anyone else having similar problems? Your last post on my reader is 4 weeks ago!
I love these too! I had them in containers last year. They aren't easy to find in New England either. - Jackie
Hello Robin, Glad you found your lantanas but did you know you can easily overwinter them indoors? I store mine in the basement with little or no light and water it once a month, bring it back outside in the spring time.
Yay! Glad you found the Lantana you wanted Robin. I ended up overwintering my Lantana from last summer kinda by accident. It was in the same container as my Tropicanna Canna ~ so it got hauled into the basement. Now it's coming back out which is a wonderful surprise. I did just buy 'Bandana Cherry Sunrise' to add to it. I feel like Lantana is a garden "staple" too.
btw, I've never taken anyone up on the plant warranties but I think it's good you did.
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