Which species of Lantana is perennial? (flowers, Hibiscus, Arizona, spring)
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I probably should have put this in the TX forum since Lantana is a staple here but I thought some of you might know.
There are so many species/varieties of Lantana that it makes my head spin and most of the tags don't say anything at all whether they are an annual or a perennial. I have bought several plants at several different places...trailing "Lavender", mounding "Peach" and so far, neither are doing very well. Does anyone know which varieties are the best to have as a perennial and that take the extreme blistering heat of the TX sun?
That's because they aren't perennials. Some of them behave like perennials in places where the winters are cold enough to freeze the hardwood.
Lantana camara and Lantana montevidensis are the most common species in the horticultural industry. Lantana camara is often hybridized with several other species.
There are some plants in the same family called Verbena that are perennial. Their flowers are often almost identical to Lantana. Look up Verbena peruviana.
Don't plant a lantana anywhere close to a house window or driveway. If it roots well and takes off, the stench will make you gag.
In Florida it is considered a weed, grows wild in huge clumps. I used to know some folks who dug it up and made good money selling it to tourists. Based on that Floridian habitat, maybe yours needs more moisture?
Lol, nitram and KC6ZLV...you both gave me exact opposite answers, which makes me feel a little better knowing I wasn't going crazy about whether lantana was perennial or annual.
Matt, I happened to do some research after I posted this and found the Texas SuperStar site. It said that New Gold and Dallas Red/New Red are the best as well as trailing white and purple so that is what I am going to look for.
I bought an upright purple lantanta at Lowe's and it is scraggly, thin and not bushing out but then I bought 2 no name lantanas at Wally World and they are blooming and just beautiful. I just noticed the texture, color and size of the leaves and stems of all the lantana I purchased are completely different...I think I read somewhere that hybrids don't do as well here. I've only seen Verbena at one place...it sells like hotcakes here apparently but I would like to get some of the trailing variety.
So, thank you for the answers, I really appreciate it.
Lol, nitram and KC6ZLV...you both gave me exact opposite answers, which makes me feel a little better knowing I wasn't going crazy about whether lantana was perennial or annual.
Matt, I happened to do some research after I posted this and found the Texas SuperStar site. It said that New Gold and Dallas Red/New Red are the best as well as trailing white and purple so that is what I am going to look for.
I bought an upright purple lantanta at Lowe's and it is scraggly, thin and not bushing out but then I bought 2 no name lantanas at Wally World and they are blooming and just beautiful. I just noticed the texture, color and size of the leaves and stems of all the lantana I purchased are completely different...I think I read somewhere that hybrids don't do as well here. I've only seen Verbena at one place...it sells like hotcakes here apparently but I would like to get some of the trailing variety.
So, thank you for the answers, I really appreciate it.
My lantanas come back year after year and look stringy so this year I am trying tip pruning to see if it will create a bushy and full look.
In Las Vegas, we rely on lantanas. They survive in our hot and dry conditions. I have lantanas that are very old. They always come back and I trim them down to the ground every fall.
Yes, all Lantana are perennial, in areas that do not get freezing weather. Even here in Southern Arizona, a hard freeze can kill an unproctected lantana, but most winters cause only a bit of frost damage that quickly reverses in the spring. In areas where the ground freezes, however, they would need to be "taken in" for the winter, same as hibiscus, Oleander, citrus, etc.
I did find the New Gold, Dallas Red, purple and white trailing variety at Lowe's today. They are rated as a "Texas Superstar" plant so hopefully they will do well. I am done with annual plants.
We had 2 hard freezes this past winter and the previous owners of our home had 2 large lantanas in a rock garden. They were beautiful last summer but they look pathetic right now. I think a combination of the cold and now the blistering heat is doing them in.
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