How to Care for Lantana Camara

Lantana camara, also called common lantana, performs as a flowering, evergreen perennial outdoors in frost-free climates. Frost-sensitive, its perennial growing range encompasses U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. Cooler, frost-prone areas should treat the plant as a flowering annual. Tiny, flower-filled bouquets in multiple colors fill the plant year-round. The plant averages 6 feet tall and wide. Use Lantana camara in borders, butterfly gardens, xeriscapes, containers or as a ground cover. It is a hardy and durable plant, requiring little maintenance to perform well.

Herbicide

Rake

Humus

Compost

Manure

Shovel

Mulch

Clippers

Hand-held pruners

Pesticides

Remove vegetation from a well-drained planting site located in full sun. Kill with herbicide, rake away or remove any weeds by hand. Weed the planting site regularly, as the unwanted vegetation robs the Lantana camara of moisture.

Incorporate organics into poor soils, such as sand, for optimal growth. Spread a 6-inch layer of humus, compost or manure evenly over the garden soil. With a shovel, work it 8 inches into the soil.

Plant the Lantana camara at the level it was growing in its pot. Loosen wrapped roots before planting. Pull them apart with your hands.

Water the newly planted Lantana camara after planting and two to three times weekly for six weeks. Apply weekly water applications after establishment.

Spread 2 to 4 inches of mulch evenly over the planting site. Push the mulch 4 inches away from the Lantana camara's base.

Trim the Lantana camara plant to contain its size or control its shape. Use clippers or hand-held pruners to clip unwanted portions of the plant.

Treat pest problems on Lantana camara with a pesticide product that is not harmful to the plant. Apply the product according to label instructions to treat pests such as lantana lace bugs or aphids.

Grow Lantana camara in a draining container or hanging basket filled with a well-drained potting mix.

Temperatures of 28 degrees Fahrenheit kill Lantana camara's vegetation to ground level. The plant usually resprouts during warm, springtime conditions.

Bring outdoor containers indoors to a bright and warm location during winter, if frosts or freezes threaten.

Lantana camara has a high tolerance to drought conditions once established.

Gardeners have a variety of selections in Lantana camara cultivars and hybrids.

All parts of Lantana camara are toxic.

The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council labels Lantana camara as an invasive plant species, according to Floridata.

Do not overfertilize or overwater Lantana camara, as it impedes plant growth and blossom production.