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It's Friday afternoon: there's no way I can handle anything serious until Monday anyway. I'm posting this as a diary because it's so peripheral to the site.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Jan 20th, 2006 at 10:40:33 AM EST
Well, I think gardening fits in just fine, thank you...not so peripheral to the European lifestyle. And I haven't started to plan yet...mostly because here in Switzerland it is still snowing pretty regularly...but now you got me thinking. And anyway, my indoors plants are happy and cruising along!

I have one challenging plant, however, and thought I'd ask if anyone has an answer for me. I bought a real nice lantana for my wife two years ago, one that has been pruned so it has a long stem and is a ball at the top. What's nice about lantana is that it flowers off and on from April to November (and is even beginning to now). The problem is that it is quite needy...it requires a lot of water, and quickly slumps if it isn't given water when it needs it. It is also a messy plant, dropping lots of leaves and "branch litter". So it is really a better outdoor plant, but I don't know if lantana's can stand cold weather, so I have brought it indoors the last two winters...where he/she lives quite contentedly, demanding water and dropping stuf on our floor. So...does anyone know if lantana plants can stand freezes?

Half the population is under the age of 18. Tanzania's future is NOW...join the 50% campaign!

by whataboutbob on Fri Jan 20th, 2006 at 11:20:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]
A web search indicates it's a tender perennial, so no. You'll just have to work out a better watering system. Maybe some sort of drip system?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Jan 20th, 2006 at 11:28:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Lantana can live outdoors in winter in Mediterranean climates. Anywhere else (here in SW France included), it needs bringing in to a greenhouse or conservatory etc. So it unfortunately has to be a pot plant for most of us.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Jan 20th, 2006 at 12:06:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'll see if I can get some advice on watering. Maybe the leaves and branches fall because of water deficit from time to time?

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Jan 20th, 2006 at 12:08:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks colman & afew for this info. When I went away for 10 days in December, I thought I had a good watering system set up...only to come back and find the poor lantana on deaths doorstep. But with lots of watering and pruning, it has bounced right back.

So...indoor watering systems...anyone have experience with a good indoor watering system that you could point me to?

Half the population is under the age of 18. Tanzania's future is NOW...join the 50% campaign!

by whataboutbob on Sat Jan 21st, 2006 at 05:21:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I found some interesting designs by typing "vacation watering" in google images.
by Alex in Toulouse on Sat Jan 21st, 2006 at 09:01:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Moved to the front-page now - it's the weekend.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Jan 20th, 2006 at 02:53:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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