Some days back I mentioned a lovely sunrise. I finally uploaded the best photo of it - alas, the only one that caught the glory of the colors fuilly was blurry so I did not upload it. I also uploaded a pic of a plant from my parents' house. What IS it? Does anyone know?
Thanks.
SunrisePlant![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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"Your friends plant is a Lantana camara. I have one I am growing as a bonsai tree and it is about 20 years old. In Florida they are considered weeds. Judging from the fact that is blooming she is doing well. They love the sun. They like sandy soil, either use cactus soil or mix potting soil 50/50 with play sand or builders sand available at Lowes or Home Depot. The pot it is in is big enough for the next 5 years. When it is not blooming she should cut it way back. In the summer it loves to be outside in full sun. Water only when the soil surface feels very dry, then give it enough that a little water goes in the drain tray. Fertilize once a month with a water soluable fertilizer for blooming plants such as Miracle Grow for blooming plants. If she has more questions feel free to write again. Good luck." ( Her email is plantlady6 (at) yahoo)
I Googled it and got this.
"Lantana is extremely easy to grow requiring little attention and is seldom bothered by pests or disease. It has low water requirements and can be used in xeriscapes and can handle the heat growing in containers and hanging baskets under sunny conditions. Lantana is a favorite species for butterflies and non-invasive lantanas should be a part of any butterfly garden." Sounds like a perfect plant for you! ^_^
However, keep the cats away from it if you can: "Pets have reportedly become ill after ingesting lantana. The unripe berries are known to be very toxic and the foliage toxic to livestock." I expect that, similar to begonias, cats will not bother it.
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"In the summer when mine is outside and actively growing I water it daily so I'm sure it would love it outside in a location that it will get full sun all day long. The intensity of the sun outside is so much better than indoors, especially in the summer when the sun is high in the sky. It just doesn't shine in windows well enough. If at all possible it will be much healthier outdoors in the summer than indoors. Sitting in it's pot in a flower bed with annuals it is lovely. She will need to pinch off the seed heads when the flowers stop blooming in order to keep it blooming all summer. The purpose of flowers is to produce seeds. If you pinch of the seeds before they are mature it will keep blooming. Good luck."
So if the berries are the really poisonous part, and you pinch of the seed heads, that should make them a bit safer. I don't know if you have a sunroom or anyplace with a southern exposure that could be a closed-door unattended-cat-free zone.
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(Anonymous) 2007-01-06 04:43 am (UTC)(link)