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.
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]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.