Lantana
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!
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Colorful Combinations
Lantana has coarse, pungently scented, deep green leaves that act as a wonderful backdrop to its contrasting flowers. In many cases, there's a tie-dye effect on the flower heads. Flowers generally start as a light color, then darken with age. Once the blooms have aged through all of their colors, they simply fall off—saving you from time spent deadheading.
The overall size of lantana varies. In warm southern climates, it can be considered a perennial or tropical shrub and can grow 10 feet tall. However, in most climates it's treated as an annual, which still reaches almost 3 feet in one growing season. Some varieties of lantana have a trailing habit, perfect for spilling over a container or hanging basket. Upright varieties make great pops of season-long color as high-impact annuals planted among perennials.
Lantana Care
Consider placement when it comes to lantana. The plants thrive in full sun and lots of warmth., and are likely to produce fewer blooms and be more susceptible to disease when planted in too much shade. In areas that are too moist, powdery mildew and root rot are more likely to occur.
Older varieties of lantana can be started from seed. Many new varieties don't produce seed, and can only be propagated by stem cuttings from young growth that hasn't become too woody.
Pollinator Heaven
Lantanas are extremely attractive to pollinators. It's common to see numerous butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds swarming around these plants, drinking up the abundant nectar produced in their small, tubular blooms.
More Varieties of Lantana
'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.
Lantana Montevidensis
Lantana montevidensis is a wild form with lavender-purple flowers on a plant that can reach 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
'Landmark Pink Dawn' Lantana
Lantana 'Landmark Pink Dawn' offers creamy yellow flowers that mature to soft pink, and can grow to 3 feet tall by 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 can tolerate humidity.
Lantana Companion Plants
Angelonia
Angelonia is also called summer snapdragon, and you'll know why once you get a good look at it. Its salvia-like flower spires reach a foot or two high, studded with fascinating snapdragon-like flowers in beautiful shades of purple, white, or pink. It's the perfect plant for adding bright color to hot, sunny spaces. This tough plant blooms all summer. While all the varieties are beautiful, keep an eye out for the sweetly scented selections. Most gardeners treat angelonia as an annual, but it's a tough perennial in Zones 9-10. Or, if you have a bright, sunny spot indoors, you can even keep it flowering all winter.
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 ground—and can make a good houseplant if you have enough light. 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. Plant oncer all danger of frost has passed.
Salvia
There are few gardens that don't have at least one salvia growing. Whether you have sun or shade, a dry garden or lots of rainfall, there's a salvia 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 dislike cool weather, so plant once all danger of frost has passed.
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