Day 292: I love Lantana for its ability to give you multiple colours on the same plant. It comes in several combinations: red/orange/yellow, lavender/pink/yellow, pink/yellow/white the most common among others, and occasionally you may find some solid-colour varieties for sale. In this varietal, the flowers open yellow. As they age, anthocyanoids begin to develop and combine with the photosensitive carotinoids to turn the flowers orange and then red. A full changeover can occur within 24 hours, giving your garden a whole new look between today and tomorrow. My first experience with Lantana was sufficient to put me off it for several years, though. The plants I bought initially came with a built-in infestation of whitefly (a common pest on Lantana) which spread to other susceptible species in my flower beds as well, including both fuchsias and heliotrope. However, since that first catastrophic planting, I've learned to check nursery stock before buying it and have not had a problem since.
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