Lantana is a hardy, sun-loving and drought-tolerant flowering shrub. This evergreen shrub is fabulous and highly valued in any landscape for its very long bloom season. (In warm climates, it blooms all year around.) The highly drought-tolerant lantana is also an excellent addition to a xeriscape garden, providing plenty of flower color.

The blooms are tiny flowers in tight clusters, resembling a miniature bouquet. In full bloom, the shrub is heavily covered with a profuse showy display that attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lantana hybrids fall into two major categories: upright and trailing forms. The upright forms range in size from 2-5' tall by 3-6' wide. The trailing varieties range from 1-3' tall by 3-6' wide. Lantana hybrids come in many colors and color combinations including yellow, pink, red, purple, cream, magenta and lemon yellow, orange and pink, and yellow and orange.

Plant the trailing varieties in the front of your hedge, on a hill or on an embankment. The larger upright forms are beautiful as background specimen plants or in a cluster of three with other drought-tolerant perennials surrounding them.

Lantana is a rapid, vigorous grower. Don't be afraid to maintain the size and shape of each shrub with a good spring pruning to keep shrubs lush and full. Without this pruning, lantana can get woody. Lantanas also benefit from a regular feeding of Whitney Farms Rose and Flower Fertilizer every two months spring through fall, which will keep them in top blooming form.

We have many different lantana hybrids from which to choose. So stop by and let us help you to transform your gardens to a water-wise flowering bouquet!

First and foremost, in addition to the beauty, the flower of any salvia attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies into your garden. Salvia flower colors span an enormous range from shades of blue to purple, shades of red to orange, shades of pink to white, buff to tan, and many combinations of these.

Salvia foliage is as diverse as the flower color spectrum in color, shape, size and texture. Small needle-like leaves, oval leaves, large arrowhead-shaped leaves are just a few of the foliage shapes. Colors range from bright glossy green to gray green to red and to silvery white. Foliage texture can be smooth or rough and hairy. And to add to the many foliage attributes, many of the salvias are highly aromatic or fragrant. This is due to the oily-like glands on the foliage and the stems. These structures, not really visible to the naked eye, help salvias conserve water and make them more drought tolerant.

Did you also know that Sage = Salvia? That's right. Many of us are quite familiar with sage as an herb for cooking. The sage for cooking is Salvia officinalis — easily grown in your flower gardens, or if you prefer, in an herb garden. In medieval times, sage was used as a medicinal remedy and was cultivated specifically for that purpose. The leaves were used as an antispasmotic, as an astringent, for cold symptoms and for digestive upsets. Of course, we recommend that you simply grow Salvia officinalis for garden beauty and cooking!

There are salvias that are annuals (live just one season/year) and are best used planted en masse; most of the salvias are perennials whose growth habit and woody stems more resemble a medium size shrub. The basic flower structure is the same for all salvias, although their size, shape and color will vary. Also, the way the flowers are borne on the stems (inflorescence) adds variety to your salvia choice.

Plant your salvias in full sun. Mix about 50:50 into your native soil. Water the new planting regularly while getting established. Afterwards, follow the watering needs for your salvia(s) of choice. There can be watering variation depending upon the species that you have chosen. If you aren’t sure, just ask one of us; we would love to help. 

We have many different salvias available, and now is the best time for you to be planting this wonderful flowering plant.

You squish them and flick them, yet still they keep coming back. What is it with all these ants?

Knowing the type of ant pest you're dealing with will help you decide if you want to continue to allow these insects to thrive in your landscaping or not. As ants typically collect pieces of dead, or almost dead, insects, and loose or old vegetation, they might be more beneficial than you think.

On the other hand, fire ants and other species will bite when they feel threatened. The bite of biting ants is very painful, and can be a great danger to those who are allergic. Not as serious, but still a nuisance, some species will farm aphids on your plants, as the aphid secretes a sugary liquid called honeydew that ants crave.

Killing ants is not difficult if the proper method is used. As ants breathe oxygen through tiny passages in their exoskeleton, a product containing boric acid, such as Safer can be used to clog these holes and suffocate the ant. It may take a few days but this method is very effective and safe. If you don't want to wait that long, you can also kill the ants by using Bayer Home Pest Control.

Do not squash ants unless you wish to attract them, as the scent released when they die will attract other ants to come and take them back to the colony as food.