Lantana (Common Lantana)

Several species of lantana are widely grown both in summer gardens and in pots as house plants. Common lantana ordinarily grows 3 feet high but is also available in dwarf varieties 12 to 18 inches tall. It is a stiff-branched shrub with 1- to 1 1/2-inch clusters of tiny yellow, pink, white, red, orange or bicolored flowers. Both the flowers and the foliage have a pungent fragrance--pleasing to some but unpleasant to others. It was discovered in Jamaica in 1692 and grows wild from the southern United States southward. The more graceful trailing lantana has small clusters of rosy lilac, yellow-centered flowers borne on limber cascading stems; there is also a white variety.

Many gardeners feel that common lantana is at its best when grown in individual pots to use as accent plants in gardens and on terraces. The dwarf varieties are effective in beds and borders. Trailing lantana is effective in hanging baskets or window boxes, or it can be grown upright by tying the canes to a stake and allowing the side branches to tumble downwards. In Zones 9-10, trailing lantana is used as a ground cover that flowers throughout the year. Both species do best in a rich soil in full sunshine.