Plant of the week 3/7 – 3/11 ~ Lantana
Lantana is a semi-evergreen shrub with medium water requirements and thrives in full sun. Lantana bloom in late spring through summer and can put on quite a show. This low growing shrub comes in a variety of colors ranging from orange to pink to coral. They require a light pruning after flowering. Lantana do best when hard pruned in late winter after danger of frost – most likely February in Northern California. During these semi-dormant, hard cut-back months, Lantana will look quite woody, with a lot of bare branches showing. Be patient, spring is just around the corner.
Lantana are susceptible to frost damage, snails and mildew. Our best prevention is optimal health, good air circulation, and SLUGGO, an OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute, www.omri.org ) certified pesticide. Because they are a fast-growing shrub, their life-span is 5-7yrs with irrigation and should be budgeted for rotating replacement.
Lantana is our plant of the week because it is a dependable, low-water shrub for vivid summer color, and has been used in our Northern California gardens for many years. Our “plant-of-the-week” campaign is designed to train our crews to know typical, expected cycles plants go through during the year. This enables them to plan prevention strategies in the most sustainable way possible. Our training programs put more eyes on your landscape.
