Lantana Trees
Lantana camara
(lan-TAN-a) (kuh-MAR-uh)
Synonyms: Shrub Verbena
Lantana can stir up some heat as you discuss it with other gardeners. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of middle ground. Personally, Lantana is always a good performer in our gardens and it doesn’t seem to be as water hungry or afraid of the hot summer temperatures as most of the other annuals. Of course we don’t have to deal with the seeding and wild varieties that make this an invasive plant. To some people this plant is an unwelcome scourge.
Even if you don’t like Lantana you would probably find these trees impressive. Not sure how old they are but they imparted kind of a regal and ancient feeling. It was over a 100 degrees F when these photos were taken at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York. The Lantana wasn’t even flinching but some of the other plants were showing some strain of the heat. I am not sure which variety this is but I like the bold colors as opposed to some Lantanas that have kind of washed out pastel type colors.
We often use Lantana in containers and occasionally over winter it in the greenhouse. It does seem to get a little susceptible to white flies but other than it does pretty well. There are getting to be some nice colored cultivars now and some of them seem to be a little smaller growing.
My computer is going in for an upgrade and they couldn’t tell me how long it would take so I maybe off the air here for a while.
5 comments:
I love Lantana. It blooms freely and I agree it is definately heat and drought tolerant. There are 2 or 3 varieties that are perennial for us here, and even the annuals will come back after a mild winter. Fortunately we do not have any problem with it being a weed. Good luck with your computer.
The colour of this Lantana is exceptional. Vivid! I'm not fond of the smell when you touch them, but they are attractive. :)
Hi Les,
I think over the last twenty years some Lantana has overwintered here maybe twice. Lucky the computer upgrade went well.
Eaton,
Thanks for visiting. I never smelled the Lantana. That sounds like a good experiment for next year.
I have never seen lantana trees in my area. I came across 1 the other day and purchased it without knowing a thing about it. Ive been researching them, but I'm not finding much information on them. This lantana tree I have looks just like the 1's in the picture, but it gets these clusters of blueberry looking berries. I was wondering if these are poisonous to humans or pets? I'm in Pennsylvania, will this tree survive if I container plant it and house it through the winter? Any information would be helpful. Thank you!
Hi Rachel,
I am not 100% sure but I think all parts are poisonous and yes they will live indoors. Sometimes they end looking a little ratty but start growing again when put outside.
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