Winning a Perfect Score says a lot about a plant that goes through rigorous trials. But that is just what happened to one of my favorite lantanas by the name of Luscious Orange Marmalade. The location was at Oklahoma State University. Then it took the Director’s Select at Penn State and Leaders of the Pack at North Carolina State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum.

I’ve been a plant trial guy myself for a little over 30 years and I too recognized something special when I first planted Luscious Orange Marmalade in the spring of 2019. The first thing I noticed was the size of the blooms. They are huge, the size of golf balls. While you may see hints of yellow these flowers scream orange.

The tag says perennial in zone 9 and warmer, but I still have my original planting now in its seventh year. They will reach 24 to 30 inches tall and wide. I have never seen a single seed on one though there are a half dozen other varieties in the landscape. The University of Florida has certified it sterile.

All of the prized butterflies and hummingbirds in my area of Georgia have given testimony to the fact that they like marmalade too!

Luscious Marmalade lantana has the innate ability to mix well with other colors and flowers whether in the landscape or in containers. Son James has partnered a client's Luscious Marmalade lantana with Meteor Shower verbena, which seems simple. A really stunning combo however done by his Eden Estate Management crew was in Phenix City, Alabama. It was like a weave of colors with Superbena Violet Ice and Whiteout verbenas, fuchsia-colored Zesty zinnias, Supertunia Lovie Dovie petunia and a Luscious Lemon Tart lantana.

I have had mine partnered with Augusta Lavender heliotrope and nearby Color Coded, Orange You Awesome coneflowers. Then this year I added a heliopsis or false sunflower Touch of Blush that is making its debut. It has golden yellow blossoms with the wildest creamy white and green variegation.

Since James operates in the commercial side of horticulture, he has had the opportunity to test the Luscious Marmalade in various mixed containers. The old-fashioned horse trough is the new trend in containers used in traffic control.

His design featured Luscious Marmalade lantana, Truffula Pink gomphrena and Supertunia Bordeaux with Savannah, a fine textured Melinis grass. The trough was situated near a lime green picket fence creating a show.

In the same shopping center, he used the Luscious Marmalade lantana with a spilling succulent called Mezoo Trailing Red Livingstone Daisy, with the new botanical name, Aptenia cordifollia. In this container were also two flowers reaching above the lantana, Uproar Rose zinnia and Rockin Blue Suede Shoes salvia.

In addition to those awards I mentioned at the beginning, Luscious Marmalade lantana won Top Performer awards from the University of Guelph in Ontario south to the University of Florida. In other words, it will be a top performer for you too!

____

(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC