Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Flower Growing Guides

[+] larger image

Lantana

Annual Flower

Also known as Yellow Sage
Lantana camara
Verbenaceae Family

Unusual clusters of bicolored flowers bloom on tough, leathery-leaved, shrub-like plants. Blooms may be combinations of shades of yellow, orange, and pink.

	Site and Plant Characteristics
	Growing Information
	Varieties

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:

full sun

Performs best in warm weather, but doesn't tolerate dry heat.

Soil conditions:

requires well-drained soil
tolerates low fertility

Prefers soil with poor fertility.

Special locations:

outdoor containers
indoors as a houseplant - Indoors, grow Lantana in a cool location, and water only when the soil has dried out.

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: annual

Ease-of-care: moderately difficult

Height: 2 to 6 feet

Spread: 2 to 6 feet

Bloom time:

mid-summer
late summer

Flower color:

red
orange
yellow
violet
white
pink

The small flowers are borne in dense, rounded clusters. Clusters generally begin with a single color of flowers, which change to different colors as they age. At any time, a cluster may have several different colors of flowers in it.

Foliage color: medium green

Foliage texture: medium

Shape: upright

Pruning keeps plant more compact.

Shape in flower: same as above

Special Considerations

Tolerates:

frost - Tolerates only light frost. Hardy in Zones 9 and warmer.

Special characteristics:

deer resistant
non-aggressive
non-invasive
not native to North America - The Caribbean
fragrant - The flowers have a very unpleasant smell.
bears ornamental fruit - Berries

Special uses:

Growing Information

How to plant:

Propagate by seed, cuttings - Sow seeds indoors 3 to 4 months before the last spring frost. Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting.
Take softwood cuttings in spring or summer. Cuttings are recommended if specific plant appearances (such as flower color) are desired, since cultivars do not come true from seed.

Germination temperature: 70 F to 75 F

Days to emergence: 42 to 56

Maintenance and care:

Cut back often to keep shaped and bushy. Water when dry, and feed potted plants monthly in the summer months.
More growing information: How to Grow Annuals

Pests:

Aphids

Varieties

When choosing varieties, look for different flower color combinations.
'Feston Rose': pink and yellow flowers.
'Radiation': red and orange flowers.