Lantana ‘Bandana Red’ And ‘Bandana Cherry’
We talk about lantana in the summer because it is so reliable for landscaping projects. It loves the high summer heat, provides good color coverage in very tropical colors, and protects the soil underneath from both sun and weeds. Two new lantana varieties for us this summer are ‘Bandana Red’ (the truest red we have found so far) and ‘Bandana Cherry’ (a magenta red).
‘Bandana Red’
Technically, the blooms change colors as they age. ‘Bandana Red’ opens with a deep chocolaty-red that matures to the true red that we like. Orange begins to appear in the flower as it ages, and the bloom finishes with a pumpkin orange center; sometimes that center can lighten to yellow. ‘Bandana Cherry’ does the same thing, but mixes magenta into the red. Since lantanas continually produce new blooms throughout the season, you will see multicolor variations on any given plant.
‘Bandana Cherry’
We’ve added these two Bandanas because red is an important color for both landscaping and retail sales. A strong red (not the magenta-red) sells well because it is both highly visible and very appealing. It works as a dramatic highlight in a garden surrounded by complementary colors, and is effective as a solid mass planting in commercial applications, such as parking lots and building courtyards.
‘Bandana Red’
Bandana lantanas are short and compact—important selling points. Lantana breeding has focused on producing plants that are more domed and mounded, as opposed to the bushy, shrubby look that was common among older cultivars. Bandana is one of the tightest and most compact versions we’ve seen, so we trust that it will work well as both a landscaping plant and an ornamental for more retail-oriented sales.
‘Bandana Cherry’
Bandanas grow about 18 to 24 inches in height, depending on their access to water. A single plant will grow wider than taller, but we think they work better when planted in groups of three. We like to work lantana into our summer combinations because they add an exotic element that gives a container personality, plus they survive the erratic watering that some homeowners are likely to dispense. Surround them with other sun-loving plants like pennisetum, ipomea and bidens.
‘Bandana Red’
Culturally, lantana is a tough customer. It can handle soil that has not been amended—soil that has been compacted by construction equipment, for example—or that has little access to reliable water (once plants have been established). As for maintenance, you can use power equipment to trim it back or let it spread naturally. Plants sprawl from their crowns, but they don’t pop up beyond their original plantings. Lantana blooms reliably until the killing frosts arrive. For extra summer blooms, give plants a shot of fertilizer in midsummer.
‘Bandana Cherry’
Our full lantana program is extensive. We grow a number of different cultivars for a variety of colors in each series:
- (2) colors of the Bandana series
- (5) colors of the South Beach Compact series
- (2) colors of the Lucky series
- (6) colors of the Landmark series
Plus:
- ‘Luscious Grape’
- ‘New Gold’
- ‘Purple Trailing’
- ‘Confetti’
- ‘Bandito Orange Sunrise’
- ‘Dallas Red’
We grow lantana in all of our standard pot sizes: 4.5-inch, 6-inch and 12cm, plus a 10-inch hanging basket.
