Plant of the Week-Lantana

 Lantana is a solid performer in the garden for areas with full, hot sun. As a bonus, it is deer tolerant and pollinator friendly. I always remember this being a John Collins' favorite, my co-host of over 20 years on Sunday Gardener.

Notice the bee?

I t doesn't seem to matter whether we see them at flower trials, like the ones we attend hosted by Penn State in Landisville or The Ohio State University in Columbus in mid-summer, all of the varieties grow incredibly well. Many of the series' names on the plants are indicative of their uses. As an example, Ball Horticulture offers Little Lucky for small pots, Shamrock and Lucky for medium growing habits and Landmark as the most vigorous variety. Landmark and the Proven Winners Luscious varieties are great for landscapers and home gardeners with lots of space.

Penn State Trials

I recommend going to the Penn State Trials this summer to see all of the various plants that can be compared to one another. It is open to the public beginning June 1. Visit the Penn State Annual Field Trials page to learn more. The plants are all graded by gardeners, growers, garden centers and other interested people. The results are available online at season's end. 

Cultivate Trade Show

Our industry's annual trade show, Cultivate'23, is held in Columbus, OH each season. New varieties of  lantanas always look good on the show floor. Of course, they have to. By toggling back and forth from the results at local trials, hearing about new varieties from plant supplier representatives, and following national trials often held in April, we get a nice read on what plants we should grow next year. 

New at Cultivate '23 was this Passionfruit Lantana. Passionfruit has a beautiful hanging habit and will be part of our summer hanging baskets  next year. Thank you to Ball for sharing this photo with me. 

 Lantanas grow as small shrubs in Florida, and we occasionally get some that have trained into a standard or tree form from there or specialty growers farther north. Terrific in planters or in the ground, the mild fragrance of the plant is not off-putting to humans but keeps deer and bunnies away.

Front yard planter in my yard

Best of all, our pollinators love lantana. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies find even the smallest flowers to provide nectar. And, they can handle a little drought, though my own lantana, pictured above, may have been underwatered, causing the smaller blooms. 

Hummingbird image copied from Menard's website

Simply beautiful

Lantana is a beautiful companion in a mixed planter to other sun lovers, like coleus, petunias, crossandra, canna lilies and other summer stalwarts. 

They thrive in the garden with New Guinea Impatiens, Persian Shield, verbena and geraniums too. 

Try lantana if its not already one of your favorites.