Lantana

Family. Verbenaceae.

Origin. Central and South America.

Description. Lantana is a perennial evergreen shrub with small, simple leaves with a slightly serrated edge.

The leaf blades are slightly rough to the touch, oval or ovoid, dark green, with pronounced veins, up to 7 centimeters long.

Stems are erect, tetrahedral.

The flowers are tubular, fragrant, collected in dense umbrellas that appear in the leaf axils. The shades of the petals can be white, yellow, orange, red, lavender and purple. The buds open sequentially, from the edges of the umbrella to the center.

All parts of the plant have an aromatic, spicy smell.

Height. It reaches a height of 180 centimeters, but in indoor conditions it is easily regulated by pruning and remains compact - only up to 30 centimeters in height.

Care at home

Growing, pruning

Representatives of this genus tolerate pruning well in late winter or early spring, even if it is radical. Young shoots are pinched throughout the summer so that the bushes have branched, thick stems. Some varieties are initially very compact and do not require pruning, they can only be pinched. Remove wilting buds to prolong the flowering period. This flower can be placed outdoors in spring and summer.

Reproduction 

Lantana is propagated by stem cuttings during the summer, and the lower leaves must be removed from the cuttings and the base dipped in rooting powder. Rooting should be done in a mixture of wet peat and sand. Seedlings are covered with a transparent plastic cap or glass to maintain uniform humidity. Rooting occurs within two to three weeks.

Seeds are sown in spring and germinate quite easily.

When it blooms 

It blooms from late spring to mid-autumn, that is, almost half a year.

Soil

Well-drained soil, nutritious and loose. A peat-based mixture with the addition of coarse river sand or perlite is suitable to improve drainage.

Replanting 

Repot in spring and only when roots emerge from the pot's drainage holes. Lantanas like slightly cramped conditions and bloom profusely. Young specimens may need to be repotted several times a year.

Temperature

The bush tolerates both normal room temperature and hot weather well, but in winter it needs a period of rest in a cool room at a temperature of about 10 degrees Celsius.

Diseases and pests

Lantana leaves sometimes fall off during the dormant period, but this is a natural process and new growth will begin in early spring. If there is not enough light, buds will not form.

Among the pests, can be attacked by aphids, red spider mites and whiteflies.

Watering 

In spring and summer, water deeply and maintain even soil moisture, but do not allow it to become waterlogged. In winter, watering should be reduced slightly; allow the top layer of soil to dry before each subsequent watering. Excess water that flows into the pan must be removed.

Lighting

In order for the plant to be healthy and bloom abundantly, it needs at least three to four hours of direct sun per day, preferably in the morning and evening hours. On hot summer days, shoots and leaves need to be shaded a little. In winter, you can put the pot under direct sunlight.

Fertilizer

Feed with complex liquid fertilizers twice a month in spring and summer, when the plant is actively developing. 

Spraying 

The air in the room should be humid. Place the flower pot on a tray with wet pebbles or use a room humidifier. The foliage can be sprayed with warm soft water.

Note

All parts of the bush are poisonous. Keep it away from children and pets. Young specimens bloom more abundantly than old ones. Mature trees tend to bare the lower part of the stem - replace them with new ones obtained by cuttings.

Varieties:

Lantana camara

Multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub up to 2 meters high with abundantly branched, thin shoots. The leaves are green, glossy, on short petioles. The leaf blades have a finely toothed edge and strongly recessed branched veins. When damaged, the leaves and stems emit a pleasant smell. During the flowering period, plants abundantly decorate themselves with small, round, apical inflorescences - umbrellas. Umbrellas consist of many small, bright flowers of red, yellow, white, orange, lilac, and pink. After flowering, lantana produces small, glossy, black, round berries. 

Lantana montevidensis

Compact, evergreen, flowering shrub up to 50 cm high. Plants can have either erect, branched or lodging stems. The bushes have dark green, broadly lanceolate leaves, arranged in opposite pairs on short petioles. The leaf blades have small teeth along the edges and are covered with a whole network of branched veins, reaching a length of 10 cm. The inflorescences - umbrellas - bear many yellow or lilac, fragrant flowers. Sometimes there are varieties with white flowers. The flowering is very abundant and long-lasting, and the flexible, lodging stems allow this variety to be grown as a hanging or ground cover plant.