I love anything that blooms—weeds, wildflowers, trees, etc.—but the lantana is driving me wild.
Actually, the lantana has gone wild. Not me! If you don’t know, or maybe call it by another name, lantana is a perennial flowering shrub that can grow to six feet in height. However, here in Arizona, it is low-growing and produces flowers all year.
Lantana flowers come in many colors. The plants in my yard are all yellow or purple, and they looked great this spring. They attract pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds. But, lantana grows more rapidly than other plants in the garden.
My lovely, very green, blooming shrubs are now leggy, woody, and sprawling all over my yard. And, sadly, after last week’s big rain and hail storm, there isn’t a bloom to be seen.
So, this morning at 5:00 AM (we garden early to beat the heat), I headed out to see if I could get it under control. I pulled on my elbow-length, seriously thick leather gloves and picked up the only set of clippers I have, long-handled pruning shears.
Three hours later, two lantanas cut WAY back, one creosote bush cut to the ground, and only half of a huge rosemary bush trimmed—I quit!
For many people, gardening is a relaxing experience and often becomes a form of therapy. It’s a way to spend time outdoors, get in touch with nature, or relax in the shade. For me—not so much—for me, it is scratched arms and legs, looking out for lizards (not a fan, more about that in another blog) and the satisfaction of cleaning up a mess. (Yes, I’m a Virgo!).
If you want instant gratification from your garden, then trimming the plants might be the way to go! Unless, you still have six overgrown lantanas, two big bushes that bloom in orange but are unfamiliar to me, two more rosemary bushes and the other half of the one I was doing this morning still to trim. There is nothing instant about that!!
And I forgot about the overgrown hibiscus. Monsoon season is spectacular, but everything GROWS!!! FAST!!!
I’m going to spend the rest of the day reading The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith.
Happy Reading, T
