Radiation

Lantana camara 'Radiation'

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Lantana hybrids out there. Only a handful of those do well here in the Phoenix area. Of those, 'Radiation' is my favorite. It doesn't do well in summer, but come late September, it bursts out in blooms, along with the purple trailing variety, Lantana montevidensis ‘Imperial Purple’. These last until the first frost, then I cut them back to a stump. Come spring, they put on foliage and burst out in bloom again, only to fade in early summer. By then, the 'New Gold' hybrid is blooming in full force, providing color all summer.

It seems the most commonplace plants are the ones we depend on to keep a garden beautiful most months of the year. I guess that's why everyone uses them. Wow. That statement is a blinding flash of the obvious, but since I already typed it--I'm not going to delete it!