Lantana
( lan - TAN - uh )
At-A-Glance Information
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This genus of evergreen shrubs and groundcovers needs full sun and little to moderate water to perform well. The flowers will attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators to your garden. Take care when planting these in your garden, as ingesting the fruits is toxic. 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.
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Lantana Species and Varietals
The genus Lantana includes around 150 distinct species and is a member of the plant family Verbenaceae. The plants commonly known as 'Wild Lantanas' or 'Sand Verbenas' are classified under the unrelated genus Abronia. The best growing zones for Lantana are 8-10, 12-24, H1 and H2, though they can be grown as annual plantings in all zones. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
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Lantana camara 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 or red. Considered a weed in Hawai'i. |
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Lantana montevidensis (Lantana sellowiana) (Trailing Lantana) 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). |
Hybrid Varieties of Lantana
These varieties of Lantana are crosses and vary in habit and size. For more information, see the descriptions below.
These varieties of Lantana are crosses and vary in habit and size. For more information, see the descriptions 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
Plants reach between 12-15 inches tall and just as wide to 4-5 feet tall and just as wide. Size depends on the 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' ('Patriot 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. |
Caring for and pruning Lantana shrubs
Plant Lantana shrubs in full sun or very light shade exposure. Soil should be fertile, well-draining, and have a pH of between 6.0 and 6.5. Water regularly when they are getting established; at maturity, they will be drought tolerant and be able to get by with occasional deep waterings. Apply mulch around the base to increase soil water retention, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. These shrubs do not necessarily need to be fertilized, but can benefit from a balanced, slow-release fertilizer applied in springtime when new growth and flowering are at their peak.
Pruning is essential with these shrubs and groundcovers to keep them at a manageable size; otherwise they can become a bit invasive. Deadhead regularly during the blooming season to keep the plants looking neat. 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.
Pruning is essential with these shrubs and groundcovers to keep them at a manageable size; otherwise they can become a bit invasive. Deadhead regularly during the blooming season to keep the plants looking neat. 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.
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
Propagating Lantana by Seed
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. 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. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
- Harvest your seeds. The seed pods on Caesalpinia plants are pretty easy to spot, they're large and dangle from the branches, left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. 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.
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Lantana seeds.
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Problems and Pests
Lantana shrubs are generally pest and disease-resistant, but do have some issues with the following:
- Aphids
- Spider Mites
Gallery
Lantana flowers will attract butterflies and other pollinators to your garden with their bright colors.
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Use these shrubs as groundcovers, subshrubs or full size shrubs, depending on the variety that you purchase.
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Lantana shrubs are great choices for water-wise gardens.
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Videos
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How to grow Lantana.
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A detailed tutorial on how to care for Lantana plants.
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Why to grow Lantana in your landscape.
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How to care for and prune Lantana shrubs and groundcovers.
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Seed propagation of Lantana.
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How to propagate Lantana.
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Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Pages 398 - 399, Lantana
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