www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Has anyone had any luck yet with their Lantana?

Mine are flowering well but the only thing that they have attracted are slugs

Polly

Mine are looking very pretty but I don't have any butterflies in the garden to attract. During this whole year I have only seen a couple of small whites and two orange tips here. A holly blue zoomed over head once. Considering that this garden should be a flippin' butterfly paradise I am really stunned that it has been so poor. I can only hope it perks up.

Hi Rosie,

If you can get any seeds off those lantanas - I'd be interested.

DM

Visited the butterfly house at the Natural History Museum in Kensington today and it was stuffed with lantana...

Would you prefer seed or cuttings, DM? I tend not to let seed set on the plants until the end of the summer as I want as many flowers as possible but I am going to be taking cuttings and trying to root them for a couple of other people who have said that they are interested so I can easily do some more.

Was it an interesting visit, Martin? I may drag the kids around there during the school holidays if it is worth the trip.

Well, seeing as it's right in the front yard of the (free) Natural History Museum I'd say yes.

Martin.

PS - the butterfly house is £5 for adults and £3:50 for kids.

Lantanas root so easily its hardly worth bothering with seeds.Stick cuttings in from now till the autumn while the weather is warm.If three - five cuttings are inserted in a small pot for the next couple of weeks and the potful is moved into a larger pot as soon as they are rooted there should be enough time to have a flowering plant this season.Keep them inside a green house till they are ready.
Later cuttings can be overwintered in the small pot for potting on in spring to make large summer plants next year.Whitefly can be a serious problem on Lantanas rub them off as soon as any are seen.The early stage of the pest looks like a small scale wipe these off if you can.
Hope this is useful, Pete. ...

Yep, that was useful. Thanks, Pete.

At last... a butterfly nectaring on the Lantana in my front garden today! I never saw it on the colourful flowers, only on the whitish ones.

That's great, Polly.

Glad to know that you have got results.

Hi Rosy,

I have discovered Lantana seeds in the seed merchants Thomson and Morgan, I think they are sold 20 seeds for about £3. According to the garden centre they are a bedding plant but its a thought for next summer, I will buy some later on and see if I can grow any, the photos of the flowers are really nice and also its nice to try something different. I've enjoyed reading all the comments on this flower, very interesting.

Lantana are a really pretty flower and seem easy to take cuttings from (unfortunately all the cuttings I took died when I was away on holiday, but that was my fault). However, as far as butterflies are concerned, with the exception of Polly's comment above I have found them totally useless.

Mine are situated in a prime spot, they get sunshine for the best part of the day but I haven't seen a single butterfly on them. Even the lobelia gets a visit from the butterflies but they ignore the lantanas.

I will try to overwinter the lantanas I have but if they fail I shalln't bother to buy more next year.