Garden Scheme
Plant library · Annual Flowers
Lantana camara
Lantana forms a heat-loving, drought-tolerant mound about 3 feet tall and wide, bringing a long run of flowers from late spring until frost. Its rounded scale gives it enough presence for the middle of a sunny border while still working as a repeating plant in a pollinator-focused planting. Use it where low-water plants and open, sunlit space can carry the bed through the hottest part of the season.
Space Lantana 2.5 ft apart, measured center to center (75 cm).
The mature spread is about 3 ft (90 cm), so plants set at that distance grow together into a closed canopy over the bed.
Treat 2.5 ft as a planning baseline — cultivar and local growing conditions shift the final footprint.
Set lantana into the middle or front half of a broad border, with lower edging plants kept clear of its eventual spread. It also suits containers, where its mounded outline can soften the rim without spilling into a walkway. Repeat it in small groups or a loose drift rather than packing it into a narrow strip; the flowering canopy needs open air and a clear view from paths, patios, or seating areas.[1]
Space plants 2½ feet apart, center to center, to establish a continuous planting without forcing the mounds tightly together. Each plant can reach about 3 feet across, so allow the outer edge to meet neighboring plants rather than overlap a path or lawn edge. In a bed beside a path, set the planting line back far enough to preserve the path’s full width as the canopy fills out.
Give lantana full sun and a well-drained planting area. Its low-water habit makes it useful in beds that dry quickly, but avoid placing it in a low pocket where water lingers after rain or irrigation. A raised border, sloped bed, or container with free drainage keeps its root zone aligned with the rest of a dry, sun-oriented planting.[1][2]
Flowering begins in late spring and can continue until frost, so leave enough room for the plant to occupy its full summer footprint rather than treating it as a short-lived gap filler. In beds designed for successive seasonal displays, place it where its late-season canopy can take over after spring bulbs or early annuals have faded. Its perennial habit suits USDA hardiness zones 7 through 11.
Keep lantana within a maintained bed or container and give it a defined boundary. It can grow quickly and assertively, especially in warm conditions, so avoid using it at the edge of unmanaged ground or where it could crowd a narrow planting lane. A simple pruning-access gap from walls, fences, and neighboring shrubs makes reshaping the mound easier.[1]