Can The Beauty Knock Out the Beast?

  Since I was a toddler visiting my grandparents, I have had a love for "Ham and Eggs".  No, not the food stuff but the flowering shrub.  Ham and eggs, shrub verbena and yellow sage are all names (depending on the area) for lantana.  Grandmother called it ham and eggs so the name stuck.  She always claimed that the colors reminded her of breakfast.  Lantanas come in a wide array of yellows, whites, pinks, reds and oranges....all on the same plant!  The small flowers form clusters that used to adorn my dolls when I was a tot.  The clusters were the perfect size for a doll to hold and since the blooms were all on one stem, it made it quite easy for a little child to affix the bouquet.    My grandparents' yard was the perfect play place for a little one with a wild imagination.  The visits always thrilled me, were (probably) tolerated by them and gave Mom a break after having so many kids.  (There were five of us to handle!)

  Now, the lantana holds a spot of honor in my yard.  Not only does the shrub grow well and can tolerate all what is thrown at it weatherwise, it roots easily.  Instead of having one, there are dozens of the small shrubs dotted about the place.  Some have come up as volunteers in places where they will have to be eventually moved but I cannot stand the thought of killing any of them.

  The pretty shrub also does double duty as its leaves and stems are touted to repel termites.  If you live on the Gulf Coast, you will fully understand our love for anything that can help move termites on their way.  Since Hurricane Katrina struck so many years ago, termite swarms have grown to be a horrifying beast.  Their voracious appetites have leveled homes and have given the rest of us a run for our money.  The Little Bayou House has seen its share of the critters and has been in a constant state of renovation since the storm.  It seems that the termites have even grown tolerant of the sprays so there is just not a lot of hope.  Lantanas!  Do your job!!