Lantanas
Are hard-wooded, shrubby plants, the leaves more or less rough and prickly. The colours range from pure white through various shades of lemon to orange, red, a new bright scarlet, and the rosy lavender of the Weeping Lantana. The seed in its immature state is incased in a green pulp or berry, changing to blue as it ripens, and consists of a little nut with several kernels, so that one is sometimes surprised with two or more plants from what seems to be a single seed. The seed may be started in the house, or in the hotbed early in the spring; sowing in drills one-quarter of an inch deep. It germinates in from twelve to fifteen days, but soaking in warm water, for a few hours before planting, will hasten its appearance. They require about the same treatment as Geraniums, but should be shifted oftener and given plenty of water. As soon as the plants are four or five inches high transplant them to a tobacco pail, or some large wooden receptacle containing a compost of muck, loam, and old manure, or muck alone, and place in full morning sunshine, out of doors. Thus managed I have grown, from seed sown in March, plants that measured nine feet or more in circumference by September and were a mass of bloom all summer long, the blossoms defying all efforts at counting.
Grown in this way, with an abundance of roots and top room, rich soil, sun, and water, no better ornament could be desired for the porch or steps; but I do not think it a desirable plant for the house, as the hot, dry air causes it to drop its leaves, and it is almost sure to be attacked by the red spider. It is better to start fresh plants each spring and let them go when frost comes.
Lantanas make fine hedgerows between house lots or for defining different portions of the grounds. They should be planted in rich ground two and one-half feet apart.
The new Weeping Lantana is the most charming member of the family. It is of much more slender growth than the rest and inclined to be pendulous, or weeping. Its delightfully fragrant flowers are produced in round heads the size of a half-dollar at the axil of every leaf and show a lovely rosy-lilac hue. If planted in the open ground the Weeping Lantana quickly covers a considerable area, presenting a solid sheet of bloom throughout the summer. It will bloom freely in the house if given a warm, sunny window, abundant room, and showered daily to keep back the red spider, or dipped occasionally in hot water for that purpose. It must always have abundant root and top room and plenty of water.