Most of the hardier versions of Lantana are forms of Lantana camara. Not sure what the (Suftada) means. It seems to me that most of the newer color forms are proving to be hardier than the older versions (maybe everyone is breeding to L. camara?). I have one of the low growing lavender ones that continues to come back every year and it's not supposed to be hardy. This year all my lantanas came back - no matter what style or color.

Where you plant it (shade vs. full sun),( microclimate/sheltered vs. exposed) will mean more towards getting it to survive the winter - and all of that can be influenced by a million different things. It seems to me that overwintered lantanas take a while to get big (except Miss Huff). If you want big bushy ones you might want to buy a few new ones each year. If you want smaller ones you can always prune them - they handle it just fine.

So, John, you're saying that lantanas planted in the shade overwinter better or worse? Curious, since i picked up one of those purple ones last fall from lowe's and still haven't planted it. I have lots more shade than sun. I didn't even realise they'd do much of anything in part shade- always assumed they wanted hot baking sun. So you learned me sumthin today! :)

No that wasn't what I meant. Just that one person's success and one person's failure can be due to a million different reasons. My lavender lantana is planted in pretty shady conditions up against the road so I guess the heat from the sun hitting the road asphalt helps it get through the winter. I had a Miss Huff planted nearby and it eventually failed (for some mysterious reason). This past winter was milder than many in the past, I had plenty of tender stuff make it through but some old hardy standby's failed.

Personally I think Miss Huff gets too big so I like to buy new ones each year. I also don't like to wait for the few that overwinter to perk up which usually doesn't happen til July whereas if I buy a new one its up and blooming the day I bring it home. Even if I overwinter cuttings in my hoop house they suffer due to the above freezing but not really warm temps - so they take months to look full and start blooming.

My two cents . . . I have about 12 different lantanas, and only about 5 of them are the "Miss Huff" variety. The others were all supposed to be the "annual" varieties. The oldest ones I have are 3 years old they've come back for me since I've been in this house.

I agree with John, that I always wind up buying new ones each year, because I like the immediate color effect. Some of my plants have only 3 leaves on them, so they will take a long time to blossom and bloom.

My lantana are in dappled shade in the morning, full sun in the afternoon, and then dappled sun late in the day. They are heavily mulched, at least 3-4 inches of hard wood mulch, and last year I watered them at least 2 times a week. This year, I've hardly had to water at all. Of course, that was before the weather decided to hit 90 plus degrees for days on end. YIKES!!!!!

While they may be common, they are fast becoming my favorite plant for their long bloom time, stunning color and mostly for the amazing amount of butterflies that they attract. My kids LOVE to play with the butterflies!!

Just bought a new variety of hardy lemon yellow lantana called Chapel Hill that was developed by Mike Dirr's new company. It's supposed to stay about 12 inches tall and spread horizontally. I hope it will grow fairly quickly next spring planted where it is on a warm slope.

Thank you for your replies. I want it be an annual and have a hard time digging up plants I paid for if they do come back. It looks as though it might stick around which is fine if it doesn't get too big (which was my original concern). It will be planted in full sun in amended clay soil.

I can't tell you how big they'll get this year, but as I stated before my oldest lantanas are 3 years old. The "miss huff" ones tend to get the biggest, but so far they haven't topped 3 feet in either height or width. The "annuals" that come back every year, have come back, but none have gotten very large in size. I think at the most, they may have reached 18 inches around. Now the drought may have had something to do with that. It must be Murphy's law, because I want them to get really large and fill in a very large space, so mine will most likely stay small, your's will probably be gigantic!! :)

The 'Miss Huff' that I planted in 2007 opened their first flowers of 2008 today. They really seem to enjoy this heat and are growing fast. I also picked up some 'Dallas Red' today. Has anyone overwintered that one successfully in the Durham/Hillsborough area?

Can anyone recommend techniques for rooting Lantana cuttings? I have a greenhouse that's heated to 60F for orchids, so I may try to propagate some this autumn and keep them going until next spring.

I have better luck rooting cuttings during the hot sticky time of summer. I have better luck rooting stems that do not have a bloom on them (these can be hard to find on a lantana). I don't cover, I don't mist, I just snip and stick into potting soil and set them out of the sun but in bright shade, keep them moist and be patient, they can take a while. I also cut all the leaves in half, that way when I see a full leaf I know it is new growth and that I more than likely have roots.