help! I just moved to ga

I live in woodstock and I have planted lantana, verbana, purple cone flowers, dahlias, hydrangeas, roses (all kinds - including climbers).

Does anyone in this area know what needs to be done with these plants for them to survive the winter. Home Depot said the lantana and verbana are perinnieal in this area, however, that is not what I read online - it says zone 9 and up.

If you are growing any of the plants that I planted can you tell me what you do to winterize the plants. Do you cut them back and cover with mulch. Do you just cover the crown with mulch without cutting back. Do you water in the winter? Do you cover your roses with dirt or wrap in burlap? Gosh, I'm confused.

Thank you, in advance, for your help.
Susan

sflowers - Welcome to Georgia! I hope you enjoy it! I am down south, in zone 8b, but I do know that lantana has hollow stems & must not be trimmed back short in the fall - water will travel down the stems & rot the crown. The ones that come back reliably for me only get a slight trim after the first hard freeze, then nothing until spring.
Hydrangeas depend on type - some flower on old wood; some on new - those that flower on new wood you could cut back in Fall, but those that flower on old wood should only be trimmed right after blooms die.
I don't have to lift my dahlias here, but someone in your zone will likely be of more help with those.
Sorry I can't be of more help, but there are lots of great DGers up in your neck of the woods - I'm sure they'll pop in here to help! Good luck and Happy Georgia Gardening! Samantha

I don't have to lift dahlias in the ground here--only if they are in pots--the coneflowers are hardy and have no problems coming back--the lantana is a hit or miss--like Samantha said, don't cut them back until spring, or try one of the hardy cultivars they are selling now--they are hardy reliably in zone 7

Welcome to Georgia. Most of the Lantanas will survive Georgia winter and return.

Well that is good to know about the lantana and coneflowers. If I don't have to lift my dahlias, I will be so happy. I'm going to leave them in the ground and pray. Should I cover any of these plants with mulch at the beginning of winter?

The dahlias will need heavy mulch.

Lantana is the only one that will probably not survive a winter in the Atlanta area (take cuttings or collect seeds but it is best to treat them as annuals). Dahlias usually survive but for best results dig and store the tubers. Verbena depends on type - Homestead Purple is hardy and so is Bonariensis (weedy in fact). The other types of verbena are iffy. Roses are hardy but are susceptible to black spot. Mulch is always a good idea - more so in summer than winter due to drought conditions.

I live near Athens, GA and Lantana does extremely well here. Not sure where Woodstock is in conjunction to Athens. It does die down to the ground, but returns the following spring. There might be a couple of newer varieties of Lantana that might not do well, but most of it does. If it matters, I'm in zone 7b.

This message was edited Jul 5, 2009 7:19 PM

I am in Norcross and my neighbor grows them and his lantana comes back every year. They do die out in the winter. However, I have grown some before and they did not come back. I know the yellow ones are very hardy.

My understanding is that a very hardy lantana was found to be growing in (I think) the Athens area in a private garden a number of years ago, was mass propagated and is being made commercially available. It is called 'Ms Huff'. You'd be more apt to find it at a small local nursery. The big box lantanas come from FL. Otherwise lantana is not reliably hardy in the Atlanta or N. GA area.

While the other plants listed are hardy there are other issues to deal with. Verbena seems to attract bugs and rots/mildews easily. Roses need heavily amended soil and lots of spraying in our hot, humid climate. Dahlias will usually come back, but you'll probably loose a couple to rot. Chipmunks and voles/moles love them as well. Cone flowers are pretty reliable though the fancier the hybrid the more finicky. It's great that you are experimenting. You'll find what works. I was able to grow plants on one side of Atlanta and not the other. Microclimate is more variable here than some other places.

Hi Susan and welcome to Georgia from me too.
I planted several Lantana's, some bought at HD, 1 or 2 received as baby's from DG-friends. They all come back every year. And I am really first time serious gardener! I just let them die down naturally for winter, I leave all leaves that fall down do their insulating thing and as soon as warmer weather comes you'll see new growth coming and then I'll cut away the old brownish stuff from last year. Little fertilizer (worm casting tea) some mulch and you're good to go!
Verbena same. Although I lost 1 big one this year (maybe too much winter).
Good luck. Coby

Thank you all so much for your replies. I really appreciate it.