Seeds – Lantana Camara

Description

Planting/Growing Discussion:

A uniquely bold, many-colored flowers that you will see! Many describe it as old-fashioned and timeless. Each flower is round, two inches in circumference, and is made up of smaller flowers that are multi-toned and stacked upon one another. They come in an assort of colors like the traditional red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple. You may see other colors while searching for lantana seeds but chances are that it has been modified to be so. When harvesting plant material for its medicinal value, do your best to avoid genetically modified.

Lantana loves full sun and requires approximately six hours each day. If they get shade, the flower production will be lower. As a matter of fact, they may do well with intense sunlight and extremely hot temperatures. They also love bright, open areas. It may tolerate some drought conditions but be sure to water them weekly. Lantana bursts out continuous flowers, four weeks after germination. The flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It is important to stay away from chemicals and pesticides. We are told to snip the blossoms off to promote bushy growth. You may also do this to ensure seeds do not spread uncontrollably. If you live in a perennial zone, it may bloom all year long!

In zones 9-11, it acts as a perennial. Although in all other zones it is an annual. You may keep it inside over the winter months. It is native to zones 3-11, which is where it may grow best. They tolerate salty air, which makes them ideal for property near the ocean. Seeds do not need stratification. Therefore keep them in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant them. It takes patience to grow them from seed, as they take 6-8 weeks to germinate.

Lantana grows in a vine-like, sprawling fashion. It’s branches are woody. Its max growth is said to be six feet tall and six feet wide. They can be used in many ways, such as a boarder, hanging basket, edges, rows, as well as in pots. They should be checked for insects, such as spider mites, in the peak of summer, when it is the hottest and driest. They may tolerate an initial, quick frost. As long as temperatures do not drop below 28 degrees, or it stays very cold for days, it should be ok. Generally temperatures need to stay above 55 degrees.

The leaves are super abrasive and have been compared to sandpaper. It has a potent smell of citrus. Lantana is considered a very invasive plant and it is just so in some states.

Lantana is very easy to grow and low maintenance. It only needs one fertilization per season and if you overfeed them, it may affect flower production. It prefers general garden soil. If you grow it in a sandy soil, you need to water it every day. It needs space to thrive, which should be 18-24 inches between plants.

Lantana is toxic to animals. Please keep it away from pets!

We have Lantana products, which you can purchase them and read about the potential medicinal benefits by Clicking Here!