The Placid Plant
Recently, we planted 5 lantanas in our yard.
We have always had a couple of lantanas growing throughout these past 34 years. And why not? It’s constant color, low maintenance and water wise.
This long lasting, easy-going & easy-growing, shrub-like plant is a common sight in desert yards. And I find that they will bloom all year.
Lantanas have small clusters of tubular flowers (called umbels) that bloom freely throughout the plant. The flowers may be red, orange, yellow, white, pink or lavender. They come in fun mixed colors, too, such as the confetti varietal with a mixture of pink, lavender, yellow. They are simply cheerful to the eye.
My favorite is the camara which is dark, rusty, red with gold flecks. They are beautiful and remind me of Thanksgiving or Autumn.
The lantana leaves are scratchy and range from dark blue green to orangey-brown. They have brittle stick like stems with stickers. They do get tiny dark blue berries that, if left alone, will dry up and go away with pruning. These plants are somewhat toxic so wash your hands after working with lantana.
Besides color, Lantanas also have scent. Fragrances have been defined differently and I find the description interesting. I’ve heard citrus-sage scent and also smelling like passion fruit. I once read someone describe the smell as fermented fruit mixed with gasoline! Others claim the lavender smells a bit like lilacs, although this former Midwest girl would disagree.
Early spring is the time to plant lantanas so they are well established and ready to handle the upcoming long, hot, dry summers. Newly planted lantana will need to be kept moist for the first few days until the roots have spread into the surrounding soil. Then a deep watering for 15 minutes every 3 days will make their roots go deeper. This will get them well adjusted.
We water our established lantana for approximately 4 minutes a day, 2 days a week in winter, then slowly ramp up to 4 days and then 5 during the late Spring as the temps rise.. We get up to 8 minutes a day 7 days a week through the worst of the AZ summers, ramping back down again in the late fall. Here in in the valley of the sun, I give an occasional hose spray to feed the leaves beyond the daily recommendation. They are very resilient shrubs, but come on…. it can get all the way up to 120 degrees and for sure up to 100 degrees for as many as 100 straight days!
If you are on the go like us, you can easily leave your lantana for extended periods of time so don’t let that keep you from planting lantana. Many of us Zonies go away during summers. During your absence you can keep your lantana alive and happy during a Phoenix summer. First, give long slow deep waterings once a week for several weeks prior to your leaving. Then, leave plants on a sprinkler system for daily watering up to 6 minutes during the summer, if no sprinkler system, then hopefully you have a friend/neighbor, or lawn service that would continue to deep water for you once a week, while you are away. If your lantana is well established and healthy prior to your leaving it will do fine for a few weeks. We go for extended journeys and haven’t lost a lantana yet.
There are several types of lantanas
Trailing, which is low growing. The stick like stems will attach themselves to the ground. They are like carpeting! They can be trained to climb a trellis or wall or they can cascade over a large pot. The trailing lantana comes in the lavender, white or yellow. We planted one last week to eventually drape over an “unwanted” slope in my front yard.
The Mounding, which grows up to approximately 12-15 inches tall and about 3.5 feet wide. They come in the yellow or a more golden yellow, confetti, camara and white or buttercream. So pretty!
Side note, I find baby quail like to hide in the mounding which is quite cute and I’m glad to provide home and security to these little guys.
Lastly there is a Lantana Bush. It gets approximately 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide. It can be shaped to a ball, a mound, upright, and square. They layer over the top of themselves to produce a shrub bush. Bushes have the pink, confetti or purple blooms, although shaping does eliminate many blooms.
Lantanas are repellant to rabbits so they go nicely along a fence where rabbits may enter to eat your veggies or flowers.
Lantanas are perennials in the Phoenix area. Who doesn’t love that?
These lovely plants have an extensive root system to capture moisture but it isn’t one of the mega root structures as with many desert plants. They won’t take over your water pipes, other plants or be real destructive; therefore in the future, if needed, they may be moved to another spot in your yard or completely removed if necessary, much easier than many other desert plants. They are transplantable.
Lantana also creates its’ own insulating mulch via leaf drop.
Lantana may remain green and bloom year-round in frost-free areas but on those 4-5 nights a year that we hear it’s going to reach freezing in Phoenix, we cover our lantana with a sheet or a piece of burlap until the sun comes up. We also give them a short drink at sundown to keep them a bit warmer under their blanket.
Lantana requires little fertilizer if any, but if you feel they need a boost, then I would only add a small amount of liquid time release fertilizer with water. Lantana like their soil more acidic. If the Phoenix area has had too much heat, too much rain or wind during monsoon season, your plant may look a bit blah, so some people will gather pine needles from littering pine trees during the hot months. Placing the needles around their lantana as mulch for a month or two increases the acidity in the soil, making your lantana happy. Still Lantana occasionally goes semi-dormant, losing its’ leaves and delaying flowering until wetter or cooler days return; but nothing to worry about!
The shrub has a stick like trunk and it does have stickers. It can be easily pruned and should be pruned to encourage blooms. Prune lantana periodically during summer by lightly shearing the tip growth.
Because it is stick like underneath it discourages critters from nibbling, but they are prone to white flies. You can use Neem oil on the underside of the leaves or I use my own mixture of a dash of dish soap, a touch of vinegar with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, mixed with water. Only spray in the morning or the evening when cooler and only spray the undersides, because that’s where those pesky flies live.
Before planting and when considering a spot for the new lantana; remember they can spread in different ways. It layers, therefore producing roots from where the plant touches the ground, and that produces new plants. It can and will go in many directions. Simply choose a sunny location and plant them in well-draining soil, knowing they could go in any direction. Let nature take its course. I don’t find that I have to add any type of potting mix into the ground when planting. I do add some homeopathic remedies and vitamins for plant shock but more on that later.
Lantana can be grown from seed or cuttings. Just take cuttings of new growth in spring. Prepare a small pot of seed starting mix or a half-and-half mixture of peat moss and perlite. Lightly water and set in a bright sunny area. Plant when sprout is 6-8 inches tall. Lantanas are also abundantly available in 1 gallon pots from any nursery
Bonus!- Lantanas are a favorite of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. If you see these 3 frequently in your yard then you know your lantana are healthy.
Enjoy your pretty flower carpets!
Click on photos below for a peek at some of our lantana. Enjoy the slideshow. Mine were all purchased from a nursery in 1 gallon pots.
