by Lydia Holley April 5, 2021
Now that warm weather has arrived, many gardeners are assessing what survived the freeze and what did not. I made the mistake of digging up a dead-looking lantana which upon closer inspection had green below the soil and probably would have returned. I stopped digging additional lantana after that, and have been delighted that some are showing signs of growth.
Not all my lantana, however, are coming back. I am making plans to replace them with more lantana, since their long bloom time and butterfly-attracting qualities are unsurpassed.
Lantana is a plant that is easy to grow. Just add sun and watch the blooms explode. The hardest part of growing lantana may be deciding which color to put in your beds. There are numerous species and multiple cultivars of lantana, so finding a color to coordinate with your color scheme is not hard. There are also different types of lantana, so you can determine whether you need a large bush or a trailing ground cover.
Lantana goes well in a variety of garden styles. Due to its mounding or trailing habit, it looks equally at home in a formal setting, a cottage style garden, or mixed among grasses. It can also be grown in pots or hanging baskets.
Another quality of lantana which I love is the distinctive scent of its aromatic foliage. It has been described as a mix of sage and citrus, with a hint of lilac. Deer and rabbits usually avoid it, either due to its spicy scent or the rough texture of its leaves.
There has been some controversy in gardening circles about the invasiveness of lantana. If you have a concern, choose sterile cultivars which do not form fruit, or choose a Texas native lantana.
In addition to replacing any lantana that is dead, I plan to add even more of them to my garden. The Henderson County Master Gardener online plant sale starts Friday, April 9, 2021, and could not come at a better time.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email hendersonCMGA@gmail.com.
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