Lantana

If you are struggling with sandy, poor soil in a sunny location and want lots of color then lantana is the plant for you. This lovely plant thrives in situations many plants would struggle in. In hot, sunny areas lantana brings easy care color. It’s also excellent for pots and baskets that are in sunny, dry areas. Lantana flowers attract butterflies and bees and they are a favorite of swallowtail, skipper and some brush footed butterflies. The foliage is also a food plant for some moth and butterfly caterpillars.

There are several species of lantana; they are native to tropical America and Africa. Some lantanas have naturalized in the southern states and have become invasive pests, even if they are beautiful. Gardeners will want to stick with hybrid lantana plants that are sterile. The sterile varieties bloom better and longer. These are the varieties most often found in the garden shop.

Lantanas come in upright and trailing types. The leaves of Lantana are long, gray-green and blade-like, with toothed edges. They feel rough to the touch and have a strong odor when crushed. While some people profess to like the smell, most avoid bruising the leaves after smelling them.

Lantana flowers come from the tips of the plant and from where leaves join the stem in half round clusters of numerous, small 4 petal flowers. The small flowers turn color as they age so most flower clusters contain two or more colors. Colors are in the hot range of oranges, yellows, and reds, with a few pinks and lavenders. The flowers also have a slight scent, which again, some like and some don’t.

Wild Lantanas produce small fruits that are juicy and blue-black. Birds are fond of them but they are poisonous to humans and animals. The sterile varieties found in garden stores don’t produce fruit. Lantana plants are poisonous to livestock.

Growing Lantana

Lantana is a tender tropical plant. It must not be put outside until all danger of frost has passed. In the north it is generally treated as an annual but it can be brought inside to over winter in a sunny window. It will get bigger each year.
Lantana must be planted in full sun. It thrives in well drained sandy soil of low fertility. In rich moist soil it is prone to disease and produces more leaf than flowers. While drought tolerant, lantana plants must be watered until they form a good root system. They will also bloom better if they are watered once a week in hot dry weather.

Lantana is a great container plant as long as the container has good drainage. They should be watered a little more frequently in containers than in the ground. Try to water the soil around the plant and not get water on the leaves. Wet foliage may cause disease problems.

Plants in containers may benefit from a little slow release fertilizer but lantana plants in the ground seldom need fertilizer. If the plants get woody and lanky cut them back by a third.

Deer and other animals do not usually eat lantana, although some insects do. If grown in moist areas the roots may rot. Lantana in shade is prone to fungal disease.

Some varieties

Because the best varieties for blooming are sterile, gardeners usually buy plants. Lantana seed can be found in some catalogs though. Many lantanas are not labeled with variety name in garden stores. Some good upright lantanas are ‘Miss Huff’ a coral-pink flower and large plants, up to 5’ tall, ‘New Gold’ a mounding 2’ plant with yellow toned flowers, ‘Patriot Series’, many colors on 3-5’ mounds and ‘Samantha’ which has gold variegated foliage and yellow flowers.

‘Popcorn’ is a small trailing lantana a foot high and it has white flowers with yellow centers. ‘Trailing Lavender’ has lavender and pink flowers.

Some people in the southern states may want to think twice before planting any lantana.  It does become invasive where there are mild winters.  This is a plant that is hated by a lot of the native plant crowd.  However if you are in zone 7 or lower I cannot see where planting lantana would be a problem.