Many thanks for the link and info, Bob and the Mistflowers certainly are beautiful. My wife, Ellen, recalls seeing some at the local nursery. We reside about 30 miles east of the Richmond airport and about 15 miles west of Williamsburg, Virginia which puts us into the planting zone 7b, and we have not been able to keep the lantana over, but in talking with one of our neighbors found that the had successfully done so for the last few years! As fall approached we were also talking with our local nursery person about what to plant that would provide blooms into late fall and he suggested among other plants lantana, and we mentioned that we had quite a few hanging basket of it, but had not successfully been able to overwinter any of it in our perennial garden, and he suggested two varieties suitable for zone 7. We planted one of each and after three weeks or so they really took off and are still blooming. Our only concern is that by planting them fairly late in the season the roots may be not be far enough in the ground to survive over the winter, but will try to cover with some mulch to help. I don't remember the two varieties suggested, but do remember one of the tags specifically showed the zone 7 info and probably can find them if it would help. Also in about the same time period, we visited the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and were amazed at the size and beauty of several lantana, and one of the volunteers that had been with them for many years said the plants were very old and had survived many winters, although they would die out back to the ground, but come back in the spring without any special attention! It was such a beautiful garden and don't know how we managed to miss it for so many years, but now visit it frequently! Hope this helps and take care. Corky

I planted some of my favorite plants in the Butterfly garden that I resurrected this year...Lantanas and Mistflowers. The Lantanas have vigorously bloomed all summer and are still at it while the Mistflowers (Eupatorium coelestinum) have just recently bloomed. The Mistflowers are essential as a source of pollen in the Fall of the year as many other types have finished their bloom cycles. I place the plants in close proximity since I enjoy their ability to blend with each other.

A few of the shots are offered below.

Please view in DOWNLOAD mode.

Hope you all are enjoying some of the same beautiful weather as we are!

Bob