Whoops
Posted: May 20, 2024 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Lantana, penta lanceolata, Southern Gardening 15 Comments
In my post Plant Shopping in My Yard, one of the volunteers I was transplanting was Pentas. I usually wait until the first two big leaves grow before transplanting them.
One reader commented on my good job identifying the young plants. I dug this plant with its first two leaves and planted it with another penta. As the days passed, it grew at rocket speed. Hmmm. I thought maybe the penta had reverted back to its heirloom form that grows 3 to 5 feet tall. Before long buds appeared and the plant revealed itself to be a Lantana. Whoops!
If I had looked closely I would have seen the leaves are slightly different. The Penta leaves are smooth and the Lantana leaves are serrated. To add to this mystery, I do not grow Lantana and wasn’t expecting to see it in my yard. I found the Lantana’s brothers and sisters one house down on the other side of the street. Now I have one more plant to move to a new location.
Automatic Gardening & Real Gluten Free Food 
Lantana even grows up north.
Oh, but it is lovely! I suppose it does stick out a bit, but I would probably leave it there and pretend it was intentional! 😆 LOL!
Unfortunately, I planted it in from of the Penta, but I found a nearby spot for it..
Whether or not you ask, ye shall receive.
There’s nothing wrong with having two great plants! Except for moving them to the right spot…
I did not know Pentas would reseed? Lantana is feared here for that reason. Believe it or not, I cannot grow New Gold Lantana, which blows my mind.
Yes, and these are the ones that are bred to be small. They come up here and there.
That is great, I have had many of those and never a free one.
I found a lot of free plants this year.
What a surprise! The butterflies won’t mind, however. 😉
They will love it!
It took me forever to learn that we have both a native and non-native Lantana. The native’s my favorite: all red and yellow and orange. I’d bet on a birdie dropping a seed in your yard; I’ve seen them plucking the ripened fruit.
I found the plant in the front part of my front yard just yards from the other. There is a large Loblolly there and the bird probably dropped it.
Lantana is a go to plant at our place in Arizona. It is a fast grower! We cut it way back after the few days we get of frost.
In our climate, they come up all over and I see them at the edge of the woods. Many grow them as bedding plants. I’m not sure why I haven’t done that.