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Turban Red Lantana
Drought-tolerant Lantana is well suited to our climate
By Sid Mullis
Lantana is one of our most popular summer flowering plants. It is a very drought tolerant plant – which is important because we typically experience summer droughts. Even if we have a lot of summer rain, it still performs well.
Its flowers bloom from early May through November and sometimes into December, peaking in August. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds and is protected from deer.
Lantana is best planted a few weeks after the danger of frost has passed. This usually means waiting until after Master Week or a little later, as lantana will not grow well until the air and soil temperatures warm up.
Although lantana was once only gold, it is now available in red, orange, yellow, and blue. Many varieties have multicolored clusters of yellow and orange or pink, purple, and yellow.
A small plant in a 4-inch pot will grow quickly, forming a dense carpet of flowers. Depending on the variety, the carpet can range in height from very low carpets (1 to 2 feet) to large, dense carpets 5 to 6 feet tall. Some carpets are 12 to 18 inches wide, while others can be up to 4 feet wide.
Lantana prefers full sun and is ideal for sunny edge garden beds and dry strip malls. You can also plant Lantana on sunny bank banks, hanging baskets and car park islands for a spectacular display of colour. It is also a great plant to liven up a home entrance, soften a wall or highlight a corner.
Lantana looks great with other annuals, especially when planted in front of large patches of bright red or blue salvia. It pairs beautifully with other heat-tolerant annuals and perennials, such as red zinnias, pink petunias, and verbena. It also fits nicely in the evergreen category, so it won’t be missed too much when it dies back in the winter.
Lantana thrives in shallow, dense clay soils and requires little care once established. However, you can improve its success by using good flower bed preparation techniques. Adding organic matter to the garden or to the plants is especially helpful. Although Lantana is drought tolerant, it does best if it is watered regularly during dry spells.
Read the full article: augusta chronicle
To be considered (see Wikipedia)
Some species Invasiveand is considered to be Noxious weeds,For exampleSouth Asia, Southern Africa and Australia. inside USALantana is naturalized in southeastEspecially in coastal areas Carolina, Georgia, Florida,as well asGulf Coast.
The spread of lantana has benefited from conditions where their leaves are toxic to most animals, so herbivores avoid them, while their fruits are a delicacy for many animals. birdsinclude Yellow-fronted White-eye of Vanuatuthis Magnificent Fairy-Wren In Australia, Scaly-breasted Munia,as well as Mauritius Bulbul inside Mascarene Islands; These distribution seeds, thus unknowingly exacerbating the destruction of homes ecosystem.（Citations Required）
Biological control Introducing lantana has been tried before, but with limited success. In Australia, about 30 species of insects have been introduced to try to control the spread of lantana, but this has also caused problems.
On the positive side, Lantana can be used as Nectar Plantsand the Spanish flag (Kamala), Lactobacillus lilacinus and Trifolium Sometimes grown for this purpose, or Butterfly Gardening. The most notable butterflies attracted to Lantana flowers are Butterfly (Swallowtail and Birdwing butterflies). Pentatomidae (Captain) and some Broom-foot butterfly (Right now Danainae and Helicoverpinae), and somePieridae (e.g. cloudless sulfur, Phoebus Senna) and Lycaenidae (For example, the aforementioned Lantana camara), also like to visit the flowers of plants. Therefore, as a complete eradication Lantana This often seems impossible, and in many cases it is best to simply remove plants with unripe (green) fruit to prevent them from spreading.
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