Popular for its colorful flowers, the lantanas are one of the best plants you can grow for a garden full of colors. Also, they require little attention and thrive all year round. Let’s learn how to take care of them!
Best Lantanas You Can Grow
- lantana involucrata: They are dazzling with their white flowers;
- horrible lantana: A very resistant plant, it blooms in shades of red, orange, yellow, purple;
- lantana motevidensis: This climbing variety does great as a ground cover and in hanging baskets;
- lantana camara: The most common and invasive variety, grows very quickly;
- lantana urticoids: Blooms from spring to winter.
Lantana propagation
Growing the plant from seed is a fairly easy process. However, they will not sprout if the seeds are a hybrid variety. You can also propagate the plant from cuttings.
Take 10-15cm of a healthy plant, remove the lower leaves, dip the tip in a rooting hormone and plant it in a quality potting mix. Keep the soil moist and place the pot near a sunny window.
Plant the lantana when after the climax of winter, when a slight spring heat arrives. In the tropics, you can plant it any time of the year.
Growing Lantana in Pots
The key to growing Lantanas in pots is ensuring they receive enough sunlight. You may have to be a little more careful when it comes to watering compared to other garden plants, and that’s about it. It is very easy to grow and looks great in sunny windows.
care
Location
To have a healthy, abundantly flowering lantana, you must carefully choose the area in which to grow it. Lantana needs full sun and a dry place. In the tropics, you can also grow lantana in partial shade.
watering
Lantana is drought tolerant once established. water only once a week, taking care not to wet the leaves or flowers. Let the soil dry out between watering periods to prevent mold and mildew caused by excess water.
In peak summer or when the plant is young, water regularly.
Ground
Lantana is a very undemanding plant and thrives in most soils. It prefers rich, well-drained soils with a slightly acidic to neutral pH level.
Tip
The key to growing lantana is don’t pay much attention to her! Do not over-fertilize and water sparingly. It is a low maintenance plant.
Fertilizer
Lantanas thrive in all types of soil and therefore do not need nutrients to thrive. If you want to increase plant growth, fertilize once every 2-3 months with a 20-20-20 (NPK) feed. See label for dosage and instructions.
dead flowers
Remove faded flowers from time to time. This will prevent the plant from diverting energy to bear fruit containing seeds, which weakens it and shortens the flowering period.
pruning
Prune the plant to promote densely growing flowers. Pinch new shoots with your fingers to encourage more branches and lush growth. Also, cut long, dead branches from time to time.
Pests and Diseases
Lantana is resistant to most diseases, but can be attacked by mites, mealybugs and aphidsespecially when grown in poor conditions.
Toxicity of Lantana Plants
Lantana leaves and berries contain toxic compounds called triterpenoids and can be lethal. Symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, mouth irritation and abdominal pain may occur. Best to keep the plant away from cats, dogs and children.
Lantana as ground cover
How is the plant exceptionally fast growth, hard to kill and does very well in full sun, all of which make it an exceptional ground cover specimen. It reaches 25-35cm in height and looks beautiful with its small flowers. However, it is best to grow them in raised beds to keep growth and spread under control.
*Via Balcony Garden Web