Lovely Lantana

Gary: When it’s hot in our summer Mississippi landscapes one of my favorite go to plants is lantana today on Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Gary: I really like the newer lantana selections that have a smaller growth potential. This creates an entirely new landscape option for lantana. I also like lantanas that have a spreading growth habit. They can act as ground covers covered with non-stop blooms.

Lantana has been selected as a Mississippi Medallion winner with New Gold lantana chosen in 1996. This plant is covered in bright golden yellow flowers. . It’s vigorous and low growing with a dense, trailing habit with a potential of one to two feet tall with a three foot spread.

For the last several years I’ve been growing Butter Cream lantana. The flowering is very unique. The flowers start out as a bright golden yellow. The flower edges turn creamy white until the entire flower is white. During the summer season there is a beautiful blend of these sunny flowers on the plant. Butter Cream’s low mounding growth is very similar to New Gold lantana. Butter Cream has certainly been a winner in my landscape.

There’s a new and exciting small lantana that is available this year. It’s called Ally Klaire and it was developed at a Mississippi nursery. The flower clusters start out as warm mixtures of yellow and orangey red and mature to one of the, if not the reddest lantana currently available. Lantana should be planted in the full sun for best flowering performance. Landscape beds should be well drained and amended well with organic matter. Once established, lantana is very drought tolerant. During periods of low rainfall and high temperatures the flower colors will make your landscape pop.

I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.

Announcer: Southern Gardening with Gary Bachman is produced by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.