For those hot, dry spots in your garden where most plants may struggle, lantana may be your solution. This hardworking plant with colorful flowers thrives with little moisture in full, unyielding sun. It's also easy to grow and pollinator-friendly. It is common to see numerous butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds flitting around these plants, drinking the abundant nectar produced in their small, tubular blooms.

There are both upright varieties and lantana varieties with a trailing habit, perfect for spilling over a container or hanging basket. The coarse, pungently scented, deep green leaves are a wonderful backdrop to its contrasting flowers, many with a tie-dye effect. Flowers generally start as a light color, and then darken with age.

Where to Plant Lantana

The planting location should receive full sun and have well-draining, slightly acidic soil. Plant lantana in any sun-baked spot in your yard where you want a splash of color—in front of a wall, around rocks, near a pool, patio, or a walkway. Lantana is also perfect for planters and window boxes.

How and When to Plant Lantana

Wait a couple of weeks after the danger of frost has passed to plant lantana. Dig a hole about the same width and depth as the planting container. Remove the plant and loosen the roots a bit from the root ball before placing it in the hole. Backfill with soil and tamp lightly. Keep the plant evenly moist.

Space lantana plants about 12 inches apart.

Lantana Care Tips

Light

The plants thrive in full sun. In the shade, they produce fewer blooms and are more prone to diseases.

Soil and Water

Lantanas tolerate most soil types as long as they are well-draining. The ideal soil pH is between 6.0 and 6.5.

The plants are drought-tolerant, but the blooms decrease when the plant goes without water for too long. While they are blooming, water them thoroughly every week unless they receive an inch of rain. However, be aware that repeated overhead watering increases the chance of disease or rot.

Fertilizer

Lantanas in the landscape don't require much fertilizer. A single application of a complete all-purpose garden fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium at the time of planting is usually sufficient. After planting, no fertilizer is needed. Too much fertilizer inhibits the bloom. Potted lantana should be fertilized once a month.

Pruning

If you live in a climate zone where lantana grows as a perennial, in early spring, before the new growth starts, cut the plant back to a height of 6 to 12 inches. All lantanas, both annuals and perennials, benefit from removing the tips in the summer to encourage reblooming.

Pests and Problems

Lace bugs, aphids, and caterpillars cause leaf damage when feeding on the plant. In hot, dry weather, watch for mites. In excessive moisture, powdery mildew and root rot are more likely to occur.

How to Propagate Lantana

Older varieties of lantana can be propagated from seed. Start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last average frost date. Soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm water before planting them in pots filled with moist soilless seed starting medium. Put one or two seeds in each pot and cover them with 1/8 inch of the medium. Keep the pots in a warm location and cover them with clear plastic bags to maintain moisture. It may take as long as a month for the seeds to germinate. When they do, remove the plastic bags immediately.

Many new varieties of lantana are hybrids. Some of them are protected by plant patents and may not be propagated. Those that aren't protected can be propagated by stem cuttings from young growth that hasn't become woody. In the spring, take 4-inch cuttings from the tips of the stems. Remove any leaves from the bottom half of the cutting. Fill a small pot with seed starting mix and make a hole that is 2 inches deep. Dip the bottom half of the cutting in rooting hormone and put it in the hole, firming the mix so that the cutting stands up straight. Position several small wooden sticks about the edge of the pot and position a clear plastic bag over the cutting and the sticks (to prevent the plastic bag from touching the cutting). When you see new growth, the cutting has begun rooting. Remove the plastic bag and put the pot in a warm room with a sunny window until planting time.

Another option is to divide lantana in the spring or early fall. Dig the plant and entire root ball out of the ground and cut it into thirds or quarters with a sharp shovel. Plant the transplants in a sunny area with soil that has been enriched with compost or manure. Keep the new plants moist until they are established.

Types of Lantana

Lantanas come in a wide range of sizes, from less than 1 foot to 5 feet tall, some reaching as much as 10 feet in height. In addition to cultivars of the most common lantana species, Lantana camara, there are many hybrids of two different lantana species, with new varieties being introduced on an ongoing basis.

'Bandana Cherry' Lantana

Lantana 'Bandana Cherry' offers rich yellow, orange, and cherry-red blooms in large heads.

'Irene' Lantana

Lantana 'Irene' bears bright yellow, pink, and red florets in large clusters on a spreading plant.

'Lucky Peach' Lantana

Lantana 'Lucky Peach' offers heads of orange-peach flowers that mature to peachy-pink on compact plants.

Weeping Lantana

Lantana montevidensis is a low-growing species with lavender flowers that grows 8 to 12 inches tall and spreads 4 feet.

'Landmark Pink Dawn' Lantana

Lantana 'Landmark Pink Dawn' offers creamy yellow flowers that mature to soft pink. It grows 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide.

'Luscious Grape' Lantana

Lantana 'Luscious Grape' displays clusters of lavender-purple flowers on a vigorous, floriferous plant. It grows 16 inches tall and 36 inches wide.

'Luscious Citrus Blend' Lantana

Lantana 'Luscious Citrus Blend' is a heat-loving selection with vibrant red, orange, and yellow flowers on a mounding plant that grows to 3 feet tall and wide.

'Lucky Pot of Gold' Lantana

Lantana 'Lucky Pot of Gold' offers heads of rich yellow blooms on compact plants that grow 1 foot tall and wide. It tolerates humidity well.

'Patriot Firewagon' Lantana

Lantana 'Patriot Firewagon' offers clusters of yellow flowers that turn from bright yellow to red-orange. It grows to 3 1/2 feet tall by 2 feet wide.

'Samantha' Lantana

Lantana 'Samantha' has yellow flowers and golden-variegated foliage. It grows to 2 feet tall by 2 1/2 feet wide.

Lantana Companion Plants

Angelonia

Angelonia is also called summer snapdragon, and once you get a good look at it, you'll know why. It has salvia-like flower spires that reach 1 to 2 feet in height and are studded with fascinating snapdragon-like flowers with beautiful colorations in purple, white, or pink. It's the perfect annual for adding bright color to hot, sunny spaces. This tough plant blooms all summer long. While all varieties are beautiful, keep an eye out for the sweetly scented selections.

Pentas

Pentas is one of the best butterfly-attracting plants around. It blooms all summer, even during the hottest weather, with large clusters of starry blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies by the dozens. The plant grows well in both containers and in garden soil. It does best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Pentas is grown as an annual in most parts of the country, but it's hardy in Zones 10-11.

Salvia

Few gardens don't have at least one salvia growing in them. Whether you have sun or shade, a dry garden, or lots of rainfall, there's an annual salvia that you'll find indispensable. All attract hummingbirds, especially the red ones, and are great picks for hot, dry sites where you want tons of color all season. Most salvias don't like cool weather, so plant them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed.

Garden Plans for Lantana

Garden Plan for Partial Shade

This garden plan for partial shade uses sun-loving plants that will still do well if they are shaded only part of the day, though they may not bloom as profusely as they would in full sun. The design features easy-care, summer-blooming perennials such as daylilies, phlox, and hostas. To keep the color show going all season long, an array of annuals such as coleus and petunias fills in the front of this beautiful border. 

Tropical-Look Garden Plan

This tropical-look garden plan is filled with show-stopping colorful plants. A tall purple-leaf canna grabs attention with both its large leaves and brightly hued flowers while the heart-shape leaves of purple and chartreuse sweet potato vines create a cascade of color. To attract hummingbirds, the plan also includes a fuchsia.