I used the wintersowing method, but waited until spring because it can't take much cold. I don't think it needs a cold period at all, and won't germinate until it is pretty warm. I am in zone 5a and it did bloom (a few buds) the first year, but quite late... September if I recall. It also didn't get very big compared to the more mature store bought ones. It is not hardy here so I either treat it as an annual or would have to bring it indoors. I would think in 7b you would have no trouble getting it to grow well and bloom the first year, and I think some kinds will overwinter there as well.

Hi Linda Jo, Molanic talks about hardy lantana. I have recently gotten a lantana hybrid called Miss Huff that is supposed to be hardy in your 7b Raleigh, North Carolina area. Do you like yellow gold? Mine is a bright gold color that ages to orange, then pale coral on an upright lantana that may grow to 4-8 ft every summer.

My tiny new plants: # 1 blossom changes color when it ages, #2 buds opening on another Miss Huff lantana

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Miss Huff is a sterile hybrid that is propagated by cuttings and requires much less water than the normal lantana. After reading rave reviews in the gw Butterfly Forum about how popular Miss Huff is with the butterflies and hummingbirds, I searched, found cheap little plants on ebay and rushed to get them planted a month ago.

Lantana dies back in the winter and is only cut in the spring and summer. If you cut it back in the late fall or winter, water gets in the woody stems, freezes, rots the plant, plant dies.

Link below is from the Carolina Gardening Forum - see first and last posts, picture, link (old thread but good picture). If Miss Huff interests you perhaps a neighbor of yours in the Carolina forum might give you a cutting next spring.

For some reason links are not working today in gw, so please copy and paste.
Carolina forum, "miss huff lantana from cuttings"
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/carolgard/msg0911591418072.html
Alternative - someone overwinters a lantana cutting in a glass of water, but I wonder if it stays in water all winter? See very last post:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/seedsave/msg052103264829.html?13
Includes pics above, My new lantana: http://public.fotki.com/rivercrossroads/lantana/

Thank you both for the good information. Miss Huff is sold here in all the garden centers in the spring so I will pick up a plant and take cuttings to multiple them. I do like the yellow/gold. I have another variety that is red/orange. I don't know if it is hardy here though. Thanks for all the good links river. I will check them out.

Linda jo