All the Dirt on Gardening

For those of us who love Lantana camara for its reliable summertime flowers that bring butterflies and skippers to our gardens, it will come as a bit of a surprise that the plant has many names and a bad reputation in some places. There is a creeping Lantana which is L. montevidensis. White Flower Farm offers Lantana montevidensis Lavender Swirl that looks a lot like a creeping Verbena. Lantanas are related to Verbena and the trailing verbenas are also called Weeping or Trailing Lantana. Lantana camara’s many names include:   Shrub Verbena, Big Sage, Red, Yellow and Wild Sage, Spanish Flag, West Indian Lantana, Lava, and Feston Rose.   Lantana Landmark Sunrise Rose  Verbena and Lantana plants are easily confused; Alan Armitage said he had to use a plant lens to distinguish them.   They are considered cold hardy only to zone 9 but ours have returned for 5 years, becoming larger every year.   The plants have no known disease or insect problems....

If you want your home or patio to look its best, plants can contribute a lot. With the prediction that 2013 spring and summer are going to be very similar to the past two, gardeners need some new ideas. What we need is plants to replace the water-lovers, the older plants, and the plants that thrived in pre-drought conditions. The difference between caring for your former plants and the drought tolerant ones is that you have to be sure to add enough compost that the soil drains well. Most drought-tolerant plants cannot thrive in wet dirt. Here are some selections to consider when looking for lower-maintenance, heat-tolerant plants that need about an inch of water a week. Echinacea or Coneflowers are perennials that can be started from seed or purchased as plants. There are dozens of colors, flower shapes and heights to choose from. A few of the newer series include Let’s Boogie (plants only), Sombrero (plants only) and the All-America Selection PowWow Wild Berry that can be ...