Labor Day Lantana and some Phlox

Happy start to your Labor Day weekend. The test garden is in final few weeks before we have to start prepping for pansy season..

This weeks pick is on the summer loving lantana. Two great looking ones are new Bandanas from Syngenta

First is the new Bandana Cherry which has nice uniform habit.

Next is Bandana Peach which also looks to be a real nice plant with excellent habit.

When Syngenta says something is trailing, they mean it. Bandana Trailing Gold is new this year and it is a monster (it is almost blocking the road to Abe's house!). Gardeners should have a real sense of accomplishment with this item.

Phlox continues to look nice in the garden.

I had this one selected a few weeks ago and it is still flowering nicely. Dummen's Early White continues to have a good flower show.

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If you organize a garden alphabetically like we do Amaranthas will be in your first bed. Amaranthus Carnival from the English guys at Thompson and Morgon has been a pretty sickly plant all season. We were only able to get a few through propagation and only one survived in both replicate beds. Early season the foliage was a magnet for Japanese beetles who treated it like a salad bar.The one plant in the first bed that you walk to split last week.  What has survived in the second replicate though is pretty spectacular.