Lantana Plants
Saturday February 23, 2008
Lantana plants can be grown as perennials in zone 8 and higher. They've naturalized in Florida, where they are widespread. In more northerly zones, lantana plants are treated as annuals, allowing us our own little piece of "Florida landscaping" -- albeit short-lived.
Comments
are lantana poisionous plants? I have a new puppy and saw him chewing on some yesterday.
Don’t let your pets chew on lantana; it will make them sick. As to the specifics, you can learn more here:
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/library/poisonous/page10.htm
isaw a lantana tree but it was expensive
do you know where Ican find one inexpensive?
I’d try an online search for “buy lantana online” (although I don’t have any specific online sellers in mind).
My lantana plants’ leaves are turning yellowish in some places and have a white powder on some of the leaves. A couple of the plants have leaves that are turning dark. They are not flowering right now. What do I need to do?
Harriet,
The white powder sounds like powdery mildew. To rid your lantana of powdery mildew, try a fungicide (ask at your local garden center for a fungicide that will kill powdery mildew).
I live in KS and love my Lantana but it dies during the winter. How do I start my own in my little greenhouse from seed from the ones that I now have in bloom?
My lantana plants were doing good, but after two months of good grouth they started to loose their shine and the leaves are looking smaller and dry and rough in texture, I water them almost every day and they stoped flowering.
Trish,
Start out by soaking lantana seeds overnight in water, before you get ready to sow the seeds. Then get, preferably, a long, low container (a “seed tray”) and fill it with an artificial soil meant for starting seeds (vermiculite is OK). Sow the lantana seed, then lightly cover it with the artificial soil. The soil should be kept warm; some growers use a sort of “heating pad” for this purpose. Keep the artificial soil moist, but not wet.
Al,
You write, “I water them almost every day….” That might be too much water for your lantana. Try cutting back the lantana and watering it less.
I live in the Northest in Monroe New York I have a Lantana Tree and I don’t know what to do with it now that Winter is coming. Could you please help me.
Betty,
Pot up your lantana (if it isn’t already), bring it into the house, and follow my tips for gardening indoors. White Flower Farms says to “place them in an east- or west-facing window in a cool room. Water just enough to keep plants from drying out completely, and do not fertilize while plants are in this not-quite-dormant period.” Lantana is poisonous, so keep kids and pets away.
I live in northwest GA and have a lantana tree that has done very well all summer. What do I need to do with it for the winter? Will it survive outdoors or do I need to bring it inside the house?
Anita,
See my response to Betty, above, concerning bringing lantana inside for the winter. And you probably will, indeed, need to bring it in: lantanas are listed as perennials for zone 8 and higher, while I believe you are in zone 7.
I have lantana and gerinuim plants. i love them and i want them to survive the winter. should i bring them back inside and put it by the window. i live in ny where winters are cold and dry.
Esra,
Definitely bring them in for the winter. Neither lantana nor geranium is hardy in NY.
I have 4 Lantana bushes they die down in the winter, I live in southeastern NM. I have been pruning it in the spring and they always come up and bloom all summer long. I just hate pruning them, so many stiff dried branches not to mention the scratches on my arms. What happens if I do not prune them, how will they look in the summer?
Missy,
Not only will the lantanas not stay compact without pruning, but consider what the accumulation of extra growth, over time, entails: a mess! It will be work to clean up the mess of dead branches later. So the question for you is this: Do you wish to do your work now, in the form of pruning lantana, or later, in the form of cleaning up the mess?
My lantana looks dead and when I scratch the bark , no green. Will it still come back in the spring on those dead looking branches or
do I cut them back to the ground, Seems like they came back to life last year. Mississippi area,
I live in southern Ilinois and saw a lantana tree form yesterday at our local landscaping store. My concern is putting it in our landscape design. I don’t want to dig it up each fall. Will it die in our winter climate?
Brenda,
Lantana is hardy only to zone 8. Illinois is north of that zone, so yes, your lantana would die if left out in the winter.
can a yellow footed tortoise eat lantana?
My Lantana comes back each spring, but it doesn’t bloom like it did when it was first planted. What is the cause?
Julia
North Texas
Julia,
Could be a nutrition issue. I’d try fertilizing. Experiment with different types of fertilizer, but, in general (unless your fertilizer is compost), it’s best to apply only about half of what the label instructions tell you to apply.
If Lantan is considered toxic could it cause problems to people when they prune the plant?
Monica,
Some people reportedly develop a rash after coming into contact with lantana.
I live in North Carolina and have several Lantana plants in my yard. Should they be cut back in the winter? If not, is there anything you need to do to them.
Carol,
Lantanas are listed as perennials for zone 8 and higher. If you’re colder than that (say, zone 7), your lantana may not survive the winter outdoors. Even if you were in a zone where lantana was hardy, you wouldn’t want to cut it back, though, if you wish it to overwinter outside — the foliage offers some protection from the elements.
If you want to try to overwinter lantana indoors, dig them up prior to the frost, prune them, pot them up and store them in a cool (but not freezing) area for the winter (such as, perhaps, an unheated cellar), watering sparsely.
what is the lifespan of a lantana plant?
Sorry, I’ve never encountered a state lifespan for lantana.
Hi, you said: “If you want to try to overwinter lantana indoors, dig them up prior to the frost, prune them, pot them up and store them in a cool (but not freezing) area for the winter (such as, perhaps, an unheated cellar), watering sparsely.”
Does this mean they will go dormant (needing complete darkness) or semi-dormant (needing some light)? Mine is already in a pot do I have to prune it to a certain size or just to a manageable one? Thanks much!
Linda,
From what I hear (and I’m not an expert on the subject), there are 2 ways to go with lantana.
One is to keep it semi-dormant, as a house plant. The other is to aim for full dormancy. In the latter scenario, storing it in a dark place is fine. The less light the lantana gets, the less you’ll want to water it.
Pruning lantana, in the case of storing it in a dormant state, is meant to remove dead material that would just be in the way (only the roots remain viable). For the semi-dormant approach, keep an amount of greenery that is in proportion to the lantana’s container.