I moved to New Hampshire 4 years ago after living in Arizona my entire life. While in Arizona I fell head over heels in love with growing Lantana everywhere in my yard because it attracts butterflies so well (and it's a beautiful flower too!). In Arizona it grows as a perennial because it so rarely frosts, but here new New England I am crushed to find it seems impossible to keep it alive over the winter. Unfortunately my window space inside isn't large enough to accommodate the number of plants I want to keep over the winter and the local lawn and garden centers rarely carry it until pretty late in the summer (and who can afford to buy this many plants year after year?). Any ideas how I can prevent the frost from killing it outside? Or should I write it off and find something else the butterflies love that is a little more suited to the climate here?

Hi Sapphiremoon! Welcome to NH! I too am a transplant.

There are many wonderful plants that I wanted to put in my garden to attract butterflies, and I tried, but with very mixed results. I have found over the years, from personal experience and speaking with landscapers, no matter what we do to protect them, there is no guarantee that, if they are not tolerant to the cold, they will survive. You really need to stick to the weather zone for each plant. Lantanas are beautiful but are not a plant that is capable of withstanding our winters. A couple might survive if you really work on protecting the beds, but they will probably not last past the second season.

I have learned the best thing to do is to go around to the local nurseries and ask what they have that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds that are winter hardy. Most of these places only carry plants that will do well here in this unpredictable weather. Butterfly Magnolias do well here and are a beautiful addition to any landscape. I try to find things that are attractive to me and is not the same old, same old that you see in everyone's yard.

I wish I could suggest some others but every year I find that something I found last year, I can't find this year. So, every spring, summer, and fall, I go shopping and whatever I find that I think is attractive and that is in stock, I just add to my previous plant beds.

How are you fairing with this weather? Hope you are safe. I am starting to think that I won't be able to dig out until this spring!

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Originally Posted by sapphiremoon

I moved to New Hampshire 4 years ago after living in Arizona my entire life. While in Arizona I fell head over heels in love with growing Lantana everywhere in my yard because it attracts butterflies so well (and it's a beautiful flower too!). In Arizona it grows as a perennial because it so rarely frosts, but here new New England I am crushed to find it seems impossible to keep it alive over the winter. Unfortunately my window space inside isn't large enough to accommodate the number of plants I want to keep over the winter and the local lawn and garden centers rarely carry it until pretty late in the summer (and who can afford to buy this many plants year after year?). Any ideas how I can prevent the frost from killing it outside? Or should I write it off and find something else the butterflies love that is a little more suited to the climate here?

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I live in the Philadelphia area have a 4-foot potted yellow Lantana topiary . Although Lantanas are very much considered annuals in these parts, I simply wheel it into my garage in October and water very lightly for several months.

My garage is not heated but it is attached to my home and doesn't drop below freezing -- although you can sometimes see your breath in there when it gets really cold. I do the same with two potted oleander plants and never had a problem. Both the Lantana and oleander are potted w/asparagus fern and the ferns pretty much survive the winter as well. You'd be surprised how many plants you can winter in your garage and save yourself a bundle.

The Lantana goes dormant, loses its leaves and does a darn good job of looking dead for several months. In the early Spring, I pinch off all old leaves still hanging on, leave it in the garage until Mother's Day and then wheel the sorry looking thing out to the patio again (you will see early budding of leaves by then). I then give it plenty of water and presto -- in a few weeks it bushes out to its old self, looking beter than the previous year. By mid-June, after regular watering, it will be covered in flower buds. Once it flowers, you may attract hummingbirds as well.

I just purchased 4 low-lying lantanas this afternoon and will plant those directly in the solil. In the Fall I will dig them up, pot them and let them winter in the garage as well.

I really like Lantanas in every form available -- and the deer won't eat them (always a plus).