Lantana

( lan - TAN - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus includes species of evergreen shrubs and groundcovers that need full sun and little to moderate water to perform well in the garden. The flowers will attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators to the landscape. They can be grown either in-ground or in containers, and are native to the tropical Americas. These plants are commonly grown for their vibrant flower colors and low-maintenance care. Use them in mixed beds and borders, to spill over retaining walls, in pollinator or wildlife gardens, as groundcover, or simply as a container plant on the patio. Take care when planting these in your garden, as plant parts are toxic to humans and pets if ingested.

Lantana Species and Varietals

The genus Lantana includes around 150 distinct species and is a member of the plant family Verbenaceae. Related genera include Verbena, Aloysia, and Phyla. The plants commonly known as 'Wild Lantanas' are classified under the unrelated genus Abronia. The best growing zones for Lantana are USDA hardiness zones 8-11 or Sunset growing zones 8-10, 12-24, H1 and H2. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Lantana achyranthifolia (Brushland Shrubverbena, Brushland Latana, Desert Lantana, Hierba Negra, Mejorana, Veinyleaf Lantana, Yerba de Cristo)
These woody shrubs can reach up to 6.6 feet tall and almost as wide, and produce green foliage and dark brown stems. Flowers are typically white to purplish-white, and bloom in spring and summertime. This species is native a region that spans from the southwestern United States down through Mexico into dry, tropical areas of South America.

Lantana camara (Common Lantana, Wild Sage, Lantana, Shrub Verbena, Tickberry, Largeleaf Lantana)
A popular parent for hybrid varieties, this species has an upright habit and reaches 6 feet tall and just as wide. Leaves are rough and dark green, and flowers come in yellow, orange, white or red. These plants grow and spread rapidly. The species is considered highly invasive in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including southern and Gulf Coast regions of the United States, Hawai'i, Australia, India, South Africa, and various Caribbean and Pacific Islands. Common cultivars are listed and described below:

'Bandolista' Series
Trailing plants great for hanging baskets.

'Dallas Red'
Bright orange-red clusters of flowers; to 3-4 feet tall.

'Fireworks'
Continuous blooms in multicolored hues.

'Lucky Sunrise Rose'
Pink flowers with yellow centers. 16 in. tall and 1 foot wide.

Lantana spp. Hybrids (Hybrid Lantana, Hybrid Shrub Verbena)
These varieties of Lantana are crosses of Lantana species and vary in habit, size, and disease resistance. Cultivars are listed and described below:

'American Red'
4-6 feet tall and just as wide, with bright red flower clusters that have yellow center florets.

'Bandana' Series
This group of compact (to 2.5 feet tall and wide) groundcovers have large flowers that open yellow and turn orange, pink, or bright red.

'Confetti'
Reaches 2-3 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide, with yellow, pink and purple flowers.

'Cream Carpet'
Groundcover variety with cream flowers that have bright yellow throats. To 2-3 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide.

'Dwarf Yellow'
This variety reaches 2-4 feet tall and just as wide.

'Gold Rush'
This variety has rich golden-yellow blooms and reaches 1.5-2 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide.

'Irene'
Reaches 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide, with a compact habit and lemon and magenta-colored flower clusters.

'Lemon Swirl'
A slow-growing selection that reaches 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide with a bright yellow band around each leaf and yellow flowers.

Luscious Series
This group of Lantana varieties form mounds 2 feet tall and wide, with flowers in shades of yellow, light purple, and orange.

'Miss Huff'
This variety reaches 3-5 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Flowers are orange and pink. This variety can hold up well to cold temperatures.

'New Gold'
Reaches 2-3 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide with golden yellow flowers.

'Patriot' Series
Size depends on variety grown. Flowers come in a variety of colors, including pink, orange, red, yellow, and purple.

'Radiation'
To 3-5 feet tall and just as wide, with rich orange-red flowers.

'Rainbow'
This compact grower reaches a foot tall and 15 inches wide, with yellow, orange and pink flowers.

'Spreading Sunset'
Reaches 2-3 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide, with vivid orange-red flowers.

'Sunburst'
Reaches 2-3 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide, with bright gold-yellow flowers.

'Tangerine'
This variety has burnt orange flowers and reaches 2-3 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide.

Lantana involucrata (Buttonsage, Wild Sage, White Sage, White Lantana, Sea Sage)
These plants bloom and produce fruits all year long, and are native to southern Central and South America. They produce green, rounded leaves and stark white flowers. Individual plants range from 4 to 8 feet tall and have a similar spread. The species is considered endangered.

Lantana montevidensis (Lantana sellowiana) (Trailing Lantana, Weeping Lantana, Creeping Lantana, Small Lantana, Purple Lantana, Trailing Shrubverbena)
This species forms a groundcover 2 feet tall and spreads to 6-12 feet wide. Leaves are dark green and sometimes tinged with red or purple (especially when the weather gets cooler). Flowers are rose-lilac and bloom in clusters. Varieties include 'Alba' (with white flowers), 'White Lightnin' (with white flowers), and 'Lavender Swirl' (with clusters in either pure white, pure purple, or white and purple). This species is highly invasive in Florida, Hawaii, California, and Texas in the United States as well as Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.

Lantana urticoides (Lantana notha, Lantana hispida, Lantana horrida) (Texas Lantana, Calico Bush, West Indian Shrubverbena)
This species of Lantana is native to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, especially along the Gulf Coast. It flowers from the beginning of springtime through to the first frost in fall or winter. Individual plants reach up to 5 feet tall and wide at maturity and produce orange flowers.

Caring for Lantana

Take care when planting these in your garden, as plant parts are toxic to humans and pets if ingested. Plant Lantana shrubs in full sun or very light shade exposure. Ideally, they should be getting between 6 and 8 hours of sun each day. Soil should be fertile, well-draining, and have a pH of between 6.0 and 6.5. If local soils are particularly poor in nutrients or do not drain well, make sure to amend the planting area with plenty of organic compost before installing. Apply mulch around the base to increase soil water retention, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Water regularly when they are getting established; at maturity, they will are considered to be drought tolerant, able to get by with occasional deep waterings during extended periods of drought.

Pruning is essential with these shrubs and groundcovers to keep them at a manageable size; otherwise they can become a bit invasive in the garden. Deadhead flowers regularly during the blooming season to keep the plants looking neat and encourage more flowers to form. These shrubs and groundcovers are sensitive to cold temperatures, especially frost, and are often treated as annuals in areas where they can't survive the wintertime temperature dips. In milder climates, they can simply be cut back each year in late fall and protected during the winter months with mulch around the base and will regrow in the warmer springtime temperatures. Lantana shrubs typically survive for between 2 and 5 years in the landscape before needing to be replaced.

Caring for Lantana in Containers
Lantana plants can be grown in the ground or in containers, and make great fillers and spillers for potted arrangements. Choose a container that has adequate drainage holes and is a few inches wider and deeper than the root ball of the plant. Fill with well-draining potting soil amended with organic matter, compost, and perlite. Top with a layer of organic mulch to suppress weed growth, maintain consistent soil temperatures, and to increase soil moisture retention. Water plants regularly to maintain a consistently moist soil; Lantanas grown in containers will need more frequent waterings than those grown in the ground. Prune to remove any damaged, diseased, or dead foliage during the growing season and remove spent flower spikes to neaten up the appearance of plants and encourage reblooms. Lantana can tend to get a little woody at the base and 'lanky' over time, which makes them look a bit haggard. To improve their appearance, cut plants back by a third to a half of their height in early springtime to encourage a more compact, bushy growth to form.

Propagation

Lantana can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub or groundcover, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Lantana by Cutting

Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch softwood portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Lantana by Seed

Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. The best potting medium for seed germination is a light blend of 1/3 pasteurized soil or compost, 1/3 sand, vermiculite or perlite, and 1/3 coconut coir or peat moss.
Harvest your seeds. The seed pods on these plants are pretty easy to spot, they're left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
Place your seeds in warm water for 24 hours. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom, and non-viable seeds will float to the top. You can discard any seeds that float. Do this with as many seeds as you can; they will probably not all sow, and the ones that do will be of varying characteristics. The more seeds you plant, the more chances you will have to get the resulting shrub you want, especially if you are dealing with a hybrid variety.
Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.

Lantana seeds are contained inside of fruiting bodies that are left behind after the flowers have faded. These berries are toxic.

Lantana seeds are small, and just one or two are contained inside of each fruit. Seeds are small, hard, and wrinkled.

Problems and Pests

Certain species are considered invasive in some regions; see the species descriptions above for more information. Check with local authorities before planting. Lantana shrubs are generally pest and disease-resistant additions to the garden, but do have some issues with the following from time to time: