Ornamental · Verbenaceae
Lantana
Lantana camara
Set in full sun and lean soil, lantana carries hot color all summer, though every part of it is poisonous.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
39–48°F · 4–9°C
USDA 7–11
Overview
Lantana brings a run of warm summer color to the places a garden asks the most of, the sun-struck terrace edge, the gravel bed by the drive, the container that has to look good from June to frost. This fast shrub in the verbena family carries dense clusters of small flowers that shift color as they age, so a single plant reads as several tones at once. It keeps butterflies and hummingbirds moving through the space all season, and across zones 7 to 11 it settles in as a woody perennial while colder gardens treat it as a summer annual.
The plant fits a relaxed, low-fuss way of living outdoors, asking little more than heat and a well-drained spot. That easy nature comes with a serious caveat. Every part of it is toxic, the unripe green berries most of all, and in warm frost-free regions it spreads freely enough to count as invasive. Place it where the household's pets, livestock, and children cannot reach the berries, and it earns its spot.
Color runs from midsummer until the first frost in oranges, yellows, pinks, reds, and bicolors, which makes it easy to key to a scheme, whether the mood is hot Mediterranean or a softer sunset palette. The habit ranges from low spreaders that spill over a wall to upright shrubs that hold a corner, so there is a form for a border, a poolside pot, or a hot, dry slope where a garden usually gives up.
Care
The short version: set lantana in full sun and well-drained soil, water it moderately and let it dry between drinks, feed it lightly, and shear it to keep it bushy and blooming.
Light
Lantana wants full sun, 6 or more hours a day, to flower at its best, which makes it a natural for the hottest, most open corner of a terrace or bed. Give it much less and it turns leafy and shy on color, so save the bright spot for it.
Water
Water moderately and let the top half of the soil dry out between drinks, roughly every 5 to 10 days, an easy rhythm to fold into a weekly routine. Once established it takes drought in stride, and soggy ground does it far more harm than a dry stretch.
Soil
It asks little of the ground beneath it, settling into clay, loam, or sand, even poor soil, so long as it drains well. Any pH from 6.0 to 8.0 suits it, which frees you to plant where the site already is.
Temperature
This is a warm-climate plant with little tolerance for cold, hardy only in zones 7 to 11. It weathers brief dips to about 39°F to 48°F (4°C to 9°C), but frost takes down the top growth, so in cold-winter regions it plays the part of a single-season showpiece.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air is all it asks, with no level to chase. Good airflow counts for more than any moisture reading, especially where plants sit close together over winter and pests can gather.
Feeding
Feed monthly through the growing season with a balanced fertilizer to keep the color coming. Go light on the nitrogen, since too much trades flowers for leaf and quiets the very display you planted it for.
Pruning
Pinch or shear through the season to hold it bushy and full of bloom, which keeps a container or border reading tidy. On plants carried over as perennials, cut them back hard in late winter or early spring to bring on fresh growth.
Size & spacing
Lantana runs 1 to 6 feet (30 to 183 cm) tall by variety and spreads 3 to 5 feet (91 to 152 cm) wide, so it can edge a low border or anchor a broad container. Give each plant room to fill out and let air move through it.
When to plant
Lantana keeps time with the warm season and bows out at the first frost, which shapes how it slots into the garden year. Start seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, set the plants out once the cold has passed and the soil has warmed, and let the color carry from midsummer until frost closes the season.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 8 weeks before last spring frost
- Plant: After all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed in spring
- Harvest: Midsummer until first frost
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 7–11
Temperature: down to -18°C
Troubleshooting
Out in its place in the garden, lantana asks for little and stays largely trouble-free, with the few issues that surface tending to appear on plants held over winter indoors. Match what you see below and step in early, before a minor pest or a quiet spell of bloom unsettles the display.
Sticky foliage and a haze of small white flies
A tacky film on the foliage and a stir of pale specks usually mean whitefly, most common on plants that spend the winter under a sheltered roof or sunroom. A firm rinse with water clears the adults, and insecticidal soap or horticultural oil worked into the leaf undersides settles the rest. Set overwintering plants a little apart so air moves freely, and the trouble rarely returns.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage with a strong stream of water
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to leaf undersides
- Improve air circulation around overwintering plants
Bronzed, finely speckled foliage veiled in thin webbing
When the leaves take on a dull, speckled cast with the faintest webbing, spider mites are usually behind it, drawn to warm, dry rooms and plants brought inside for winter. Tap a leaf over white paper and the moving flecks give them away. A spray of water unseats the colony, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil finishes the job, and a touch more humidity keeps them from returning.
Fix:
- Spray foliage with water to dislodge mites
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Raise humidity around overwintered plants
Plenty of leaves but hardly any flowers
A lantana that turns lush and green yet withholds its color has almost always run short on sun or long on nitrogen. Move it into 6 or more hours of direct sun and change to a balanced feed to rebalance the plant. Clip away the faded flower heads and the display returns in a fresh flush.
Fix:
- Move or site plant in full sun
- Reduce nitrogen and use a balanced fertilizer
- Deadhead spent blooms to encourage reflowering
Toxicity
For all its easy charm, this is a genuinely dangerous plant. Lantana holds liver-damaging compounds called lantadenes throughout, and the unripe green berries carry the heaviest dose. It poisons cats, dogs, horses, livestock, and people alike, so keep every part well away from animals and children when you place it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Severe
A cat that chews any part of this plant may begin vomiting, develop diarrhea, grow weak and dull, and find it hard to breathe. The lantadenes target the liver, so even a small taste is reason enough to reach for the vet.
Dogs Severe
Dogs are drawn to the green berries, the most dangerous part of the plant. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and labored breathing, any of which can give way to liver failure.
Horses Severe
A poisoned horse turns depressed and weak with an upset stomach, then shows liver damage and jaundice. Sun-exposed skin can blister as the failing liver brings on photosensitization, and severe cases prove fatal.
Rabbits Severe
Rabbits fare no better than other mammals with this plant. The same hepatotoxic lantadenes are at work, so a rabbit that grazes it can suffer gut upset and liver injury. Keep it well beyond their reach.
Livestock Severe
For grazing stock this ranks among the gravest poisoning risks. Cattle, sheep, and goats grow constipated first, then jaundiced, with liver damage and a swollen, photosensitized muzzle and eyelids. It kills often, so keep herds well clear.
Birds Caution
The bright berries catch a bird's attention, and the unripe green ones hold the heaviest dose of toxin. A few birds spread ripe seed without harm, yet the plant is best treated as unsafe near pet and backyard birds.
People Caution
The unripe green berries are the real danger, and children have been poisoned by eating them, with vomiting, diarrhea, and liver effects. Handling the foliage can also irritate skin, so wear gloves and keep the berries away from curious children.
All parts are toxic; the immature green berries are the most toxic part. Keep plants away from pets, children, and grazing animals, and wear gloves as foliage can irritate skin.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Lantana comes in dozens of named selections, sorted mostly by flower color, cold tolerance, or restrained spread, which makes it easy to match one to a palette. These few turn up most often.
Miss Huff
An orange-and-yellow selection prized in cooler gardens, holding on to USDA zone 7b and standing up to phytophthora better than most.
Ham and Eggs
A soft pink-and-yellow bloomer that weathers Piedmont frost and returns hardy to about zone 7b.
New Gold
A low, spreading form awash in golden-yellow flowers that can reach around 6 feet wide.
Bloomify Red
A nearly sterile UF/IFAS selection that sets little seed and keeps the plant's spread in check.
How to propagate
Lantana is simple to increase, and cuttings are the surest way to carry a named variety true to type when a planting scheme leans on one exact color.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Take softwood cuttings in late spring or summer during active growth · Roots typically form in about 2 to 4 weeks
Lantana lends itself easily to more plants. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or summer while it is growing strongly, and they root in about 2 to 4 weeks. Seed and division work too, but only cuttings carry a named cultivar true to the parent, which matters when a container scheme depends on one exact color.
Myths
The poison sits in the blooms only, so lantana in any color belongs anywhere without worry.
The whole plant is poisonous, and the unripe green berries carry the most toxin of all. Flower color has no bearing on the danger, so every shade deserves the same measure of care.
Lantana is merely a pretty, harmless tropical annual for summer beds.
It is really a tender perennial that has slipped out of gardens across the world. In warm regions it stands as a Category 1 invasive in Florida and a noxious weed elsewhere, massing into dense thickets that crowd out native plants.