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bob_71

Lantana as a pollen source.

bob_71
13 years ago

From my first exposure, all my readings have indicated Lantanas as one of the most successful pollen sources for butterflies. I have made it a point to add just about every variety I have found in local nurseries. Last year, in this website, I recall a posting for a variety called "Miss Huff". I found it as a potted specimen fairly early in the season and bought one. Lantanas in zone 7 (at least in my garden) will not winter-over so they must be treated as annuals. The amazing thing about the "Miss Huff" is that the single plant has matured into a 6' x 6' monster. It attracts more butterflies than all my others combined! I have actually had people come to the door asking if we take this plant inside for the winter. I am posting a photo of each Lantana that I grow for your evaluation and I would appreciate your input on these and any others that you grow. I would particularly like to know how any "Miss Huff" plants have done in other gardens.

Thanks,

Bob

The "Miss Huff" plant covers the entire left-center of this photo.

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"Miss Huff"

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"Lucky"

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"Citrus Splash"

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"Pot 'o Gold"

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"Samantha"

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Comments (14)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    13 years ago

    I'm crazy about lantana....the colors are delicious!! And they are such good nectar plants.

    Have you seen seen 'Sunrise Rose' (Lucky series)? And take a look at 'Pink Dawn' (Landmark series)! Yummy. The picture is from Park Seed wholesale plants website.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:536471}}

  • ladobe
    13 years ago

    Bob,

    The link below is another thread that includes some comments about several Lantana's that Miss Sherry started here about a year ago. I made my comments there.

    Not very good pictures, but some Lantana I have (or had) while living here on the Mojave Desert.

    'New Gold' is the most popular here.
    {{gwi:536486}}

    {{gwi:536487}}

    Never bothered to determine these, but they do well here as well.
    {{gwi:536488}}

    {{gwi:536490}}

    {{gwi:536493}}
    Excuse the custom Cooper. Picture was for an ad to sell it.
    Larry

    Here is a link that might be useful: Skippers on Lantana

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    Larry,
    The lantana here is frequently planted by the birds and often, new little plants spring up where ever one is planted. They die back to the ground in winter, but emerge "better than ever". The butterflies here are fond of them, but the zinnias have been the favorite plant this year.

    kay

  • bettycbowen
    13 years ago

    The Monarchs were all over my Lantana today too. Around here "Miss Huff" is perennial, and is the only perennial Lantana I know of. I plant a variety in hopes that more will come back, but of course they don't.

  • siam_cannas
    13 years ago

    OMG my favourite plant ever!! i loveeeeeeeeeeee lantanas, unfortunately in Trinidad the nurseries have only brought in a few hybrid varieties. which i have collected. however species lantana camara grows all over the country and the butterflies love it.

    I wish i could have a tall/ shrub/ pillar white lantana, but the nurseries dont carry it here. If anyone has seeds of different varieties of lantana especially a white i would love to trade seeds. i have many tropical butterfly nectar plants like troical milkweed, tithonia diversifolia and lots more. Let me know if anyone would like to trade.
    here are some pics of my lantanas.

    Miss huff, which is a huge lantana, im always cutting them back, I love it.

    {{gwi:536495}}

    Tangerine

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    and a few others i dont have IDs for

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    {{gwi:536502}}

    {{gwi:536505}}

    {{gwi:536506}}

    Siam.

  • MissSherry
    13 years ago

    I read your lantana thread earlier today, Bob, so I made a couple of pictures of my Sonset lantana. Sonset is a sport of the old 'ham & eggs' hardy lantana, and one section of mine has reverted to the original, that is, with pink and yellow flowers. From what I've read about Miss Huff here and elsewhere, I think it must also be a sport of 'ham & eggs' since it has the same extreme vigor.
    I have been noticing for the past several weeks that, as usual, Sonset is my most reliable butterfly nectar plant. This afternoon there were 3 or 4 palamedes swallowtails, 3 pipevine swallowtails, numerous cloudless sulphurs and sleepy oranges, a few spicebush swallowtails, many skippers, and two giant swallowtails nectaring on it. One of the giant swallowtails was flirting with the other one, so maybe I'll get a few eggs soon. The pictures I made of the butterflies were just about all bad, but I did get this picture of a male pipevine swallowtail -
    {{gwi:536509}}
    I cut Sonset back nearly to the ground every year, but it comes back strong every spring, and reaches about 7' or 8' wide X about 6' tall each summer. I'm thinking about rooting some of it and planting it in the remainder of the 10' wide bed, so the entire bed will be covered with it - even if I don't, the way it's going it'll probably cover the whole bed anyway in a few years. I've thought about getting rid of it, because it takes up so much space, but I never do, because what's more reliable than lantana?
    I've got some New Gold up front, but it hasn't grown nearly as big as Sonset. Here's the picture I took from far back -
    {{gwi:536511}}
    I've got a new lantana that I planted in another bed that was red this past spring, but its flowers changed to orange this summer. I doubt it'll ever grow as big as Sonset.
    Sherry

  • bandjzmom
    13 years ago

    Oh, I just adore lantana. I love the Samantha pictured above. I've never seen a lantana with a variegated leaf. I have several varieties here in my yard. My newest one is called Cherry Sunrise I think. It's got lots of colors.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:536478}}

  • jjd_z7a_nj
    13 years ago

    Bob,

    I have had mutiple plants of 'miss huff' in the ground now probably maybe 7 or so years now? Very hardy for me. 'Ham and Eggs' is another one that has done well for a few years for me, pink and yellow flowers. There is also a golden leaved sport of 'Miss huff' call 'Southern Fried' which I like a little better than "miss huff' for the added color. Also there is a 'miss huff' hybrid called 'Chapel Hill Yellow' that is supose to be hardy to z7..mine died before I could plant it out.

    John

  • bananasinohio
    13 years ago

    Bob;
    I don't know if you have read this one. I have posted it before. Here is a study evaluating of a few different lantanas.
    -Elisabeth

    Here is a link that might be useful: lantana

  • fairfieldcircle
    13 years ago

    Love all the pics! You all seem to be very talented lantana growers.

    I have tried them in the past and they never seem to gather much vigor in our garden....maybe not enough strong sun. I have grown Miss Huff and a few of the others, and when I buy them as big mature plants in hanging baskets from the nursery, they are beautiful, but when I buy just quarts I can't get them to thrive. And for some odd reason my BFs don't seem so enamoured by them.

    In any case, I have read that Miss Huff and the Butter n Eggs are both popular with butterflies (down south especially) but what about the others...? Do your butterflies go crazy for them?

    Thanks for your thoughts. J.

  • bob_71
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Elisabeth, while the link resulted in an interesting study, it pertained to buddleia's! Could you re-inter for Lantana's?

    Bob

  • bananasinohio
    13 years ago

    Oooops! Here is the right one for Lantana.
    -E

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lantana

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    13 years ago

    Great plant!! Still blooming here in the north and helping out late emergers and migrators!!

  • Tim
    11 years ago

    I had never heard of Lantanas until a co-worker gave me some cuttings. Now I love them. I have 'Ham & Eggs' planted on the south side of my house. They came back for me this Spring, and they have been coming back for my co-worker for the past six years. I am planning to purchase 'Miss Huff' next spring. Here is a pic of my Lantana 'Ham & Eggs'.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:536479}}

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