There’s a little-known plant that I discovered just a few years ago, and now it’s become one of my favorite plants that I add to my yard for summer color.
While I always plant hydrangeas, lavender, and pelargoniums — as they are among my favorite flowers — I’m also going to be adding this pretty plant to my regular list of must-haves to enjoy in my garden.
And surprisingly, this plant that I find exquisite is not spoken about as much in gardening circles as my other favorites, but I want to change all that.
Lantana camara has a lot to offer
My latest favorite is Lantana camara. The Royal Horticultural Society describes it as an “evergreen shrub with sometimes prickly stems bearing wrinkled, ovate leaves and terminal clusters of salver-shaped flowers 1 cm across.”
I don’t think the description does it justice, and when you see it for yourself, you’ll understand why.
I first came across it at a local yard sale, where a nearby plantsman was selling an array of delights at the front of his house. He’d left an honesty box for payments, and as the plant was unlabelled, I had no one to ask what it was. Then, after posting a picture of it on Instagram, a garden designer friend told me it was a Lantana camara.
Although I’m all for asking garden friends for advice, if I needed to identify a plant today, I’d quickly take a snap of it and use one of the latest plant finder apps, like Palmstreet or Pl@ntNet, to discover what it was.
About Lantana camara
Lantana camara is referred to as common lantana or ‘Florida Flower’, and it’s a species of flowering plant in the verbena family that’s native to the American tropics.
It’s a perennial shrub that typically grows to around 6.5 feet and can form dense thickets, but it can also be grown as an annual in locations that experience frosts. However, the downside of growing lantana is that it can be invasive in many areas, including Florida, Arizona, and Hawaii, which is why in these locations it's best grown in a container, which just happens to be my preference.
The flowers are small and tubular, with each one having four petals, and they are arranged in clusters. The flowers come in red, yellow, white, pink and orange, although I favor the pink and yellow combo.
Tutti fruity
Although it’s not obvious unless you rub the petals, the flowers have a tutti fruity smell, and there’s even a variety that goes by the name — Lantana ‘Calippo Tutti Frutti’. It’s a tender evergreen shrub that grows to 18 inches. The Royal Horticultural Society states that its blooms “emerge yellow, then change color to orange, then red, and finally pink as they age, with all colors appearing in a single flowerhead.”
How to grow Lantana
Lantanas are ideal if you're looking for a low-maintenance plant that will fill your borders and containers with color. I’ve stuck to using it as a container plant so far, but I’m tempted to plant it in my borders too.
And apart from bringing color to your backyard they are a magnet for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and will reward you in droves.
Growing conditions
Lantana thrives in warm, sunny conditions and will tolerate heat, drought, and full sun, and it will keep flowering throughout the summer, rewarding you with colorful blooms.
It will grow well in U.S. hardiness zones 7-11, but check the variety before you buy to see if this differs.
Lantana prefers a well-draining, neutral soil and temperatures about 55ºF, and will appreciate a humid environment and being kept moist. Plus, if the temperature stays above 55ºF year round, you can expect it to keep blooming too.
However, be careful if you have pets, as Lantana is toxic to dogs and cats.
Top growing tips
1. Lantana will do best where it can get six hours of sunlight per day.
2. Keep it well watered and don't let the soil dry out.
3. Grow it in a container in tropical and subtropical regions to avoid it becoming invasive. It will prefer a pot with restricted root growth rather than a container that's oversized, so ensure you add a well-draining soil.
4. Deadhead the spent blooms to encourage further blooms.
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