I grew one called Cherry Bandana last year (lable is gone but I think that was the name). It was a pretty cherry, yellow flower blend. It had deeper roots then I thought it would have when I pulled it this spring - and I pulled it this spring because it was deader then a doornail. So it's an annual for me too. I've grown Lantana a few times before and this one was no exception. They all seem to stop blooming much when the real heat shows up (90+), which in our area means pretty much all summer. I grew a yellow one (not the gold one, a true solid yellow), and it was the only one that suffered through the heat and bloomed it's head off all summer.

Wow wow wow! Thanks everybody for all the suggestions... and the gorgeous pictures! I'll research all the strains mentioned, although just a reminder that I'm in Maryland where BS seems to be extra bad (I havent heard of a few of these before, which makes me wonder whether they do well around here). Btw, in searching this site's archives I did find a list that "Olga" posted a couple of years ago, which included both New Dawn and Awakening as ones which do pretty well around here. I'd welcome further thoughts, though! As to that picket fence, Betty - I wish I could paint it or something but, alas, it's not mine - that's the neighbours house (we're on a hill that direction, thus their grade is about 5-7ft higher than ours). REally, all I can hope to do is grow over it :) Mandi, as for bushy: I realise it will take some time - I'm assuming (hoping?) that over the next 4-5 years the plants I put in now will do their thing and be covering up that fence a little more each year. If the canes want to grow up, what happens if you peg them over as they get long enough, so they spread out and mound a bit more? To add to my questions: what about Mermaid? Another weed-riddled and miserable corner (jungle!) along the back fence is being cleared as we speak (I gave up on that one and got some college lads with chainsaws and better heat tolerance than I have to come and do it for me). A huge mounding mass of something I LIKE and that would hopefully over time compete with the brush that seems to want to grow there would be awesome. I saw some pictures of Mermaid (also on Olga's list as doing quite well in these parts) and it got me to thinking about a way of making that ugly corner prettier but relatively easy to maintain..... :) Thank you everybody SO SO MUCH! Keep those ideas coming!

Hello, Just wanted to butt in and say that I have plenty of seeds for the orange milkweed or butterflyweed, and I have lots of seed pods forming as we speak. I also have many volunteer baby Rue plants that could probably be mailed in a pinch. I haven't checked for seeds of the Rue, because I have so much already growing. Unfortunately, I have yet to see any Giant Swallowtail action, despite having every host plant it is known to frequent. I also have seeds for two other varieties of milkweed, A. incarnata (swamp) and one called "Red" by Seed Saver's Exchange. If you're looking for seeds, try the wintersowing forum--also an excellent way to get multiple plants started inexpensively and very reliably. I could certainly send you a care package to get you started. Let me know. Martha

My main flowerbed has many large clumps of Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldstrum' (or maybe it's R. hirta, whatever the common wildflower is) and they put on quite a show. My only complaint is that they tend to rest in between flushes of blooms - so there are long periods where I don't have any color. And the pattern of when they bloom or not bloom is totally up to the weather and is different every year. Mixed in with them is every color of Garden Phlox available and they bloom up til the first hard frost in my yard (which is usually November). I also have Obediant plant. In my bed it isn't much of a thug. I planted it last so it isn't winning the turf war with the phlox or black eyed susans. The bed endures long periods of dryness and only gets 4 hours of stong light in the late afternoon so that may be why it just sorta limps along and pops up here and there between all the tall bloomers. I grow a lot of Goldenrods and especially like 'Fireworks' which tends to bloom around mid September. Stokesias do well for me as long as they are out in front of everything else. They tend to bloom now and then rest and rebloom in Sept or Oct. I really like using baby palms (Sabal minor) as foliage accents mixed in with all the bloomers. Once they get tall they tend to dominate everything - but with my lack of strong sunlight that takes forever. You don't really see the 'fan' shape of the leaves just long pokey spikes sticking up and through the clouds of blooms. I know, most folks would want the palms front and center but I like them this way. I have two perennial mums and I don't know either of their names. One is a pale apricot, sorta wild flower looking and very stunning with the right shades of yellow or oranges around it. The other is like stubby white daisies and it blooms way late in the year - like after first frost and on til Christmas if the weather stays mild in the daytime.