LANTANA IN HANGING BASKETS &
HANGING PLANTERS
Lantana is another great plant ideally suited to hanging baskets and
hanging planters.
Lantana is loved by butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds will feed
from it – so it is a great plant to consider growing alone or mixing
into your hanging basket plant combinations.
There is nothing prettier than see butterflies dancing around your
hanging baskets or humming birds darting back and forth. Lantana is a
part of the verbena family – another great hanging basket plant. This
sun and heat Lover is native to the tropical Americas, as well as
western Africa.
Flower clusters, called umbels, are available in a range of yellow,
orange, red, white, pink, lavender and purple. Two or three colors are
often present on each flower head with the flower buds opening in
succession from the outside ring toward the center.
Lantana is fast-growing and can be invasive if grown in the garden which
is another good reason to grow it in a hanging basket or planter.
Growing Lantana in Hanging Baskets
While Lantana plants are perennials but are usually treated for most
of us as annuals in hanging baskets.
Lantana flowers best when slightly pot-bound, so you will notice more
and more flowers are the plant grows. Lantana plants are
often referred to as drought-tolerant making them good candidates for
hanging baskets and planters – this is not really the case. As we know
hanging baskets can dry out pretty fast over summer with the sun and
warm breezes. To perform at its best your lantana will need watering
every day during summer and even twice a day on hot windy days when
temperatures are well into the 90s. 
Don’t despair if your hanging baskets dries out, and your Lantana looks
all shriveled and the flowers die, then give it a really good soaking,
trim it back by around a 1/3 and it will bounce back. Fertilize your
hanging baskets every week with Miracle-Gro
®. As it is fast growing, you will need to trim your Lantana
hanging basket back from time to time to encourage branching and to keep
it compact. Trimming it back will also encourage more blooms. Lantana
plants tolerate salt spray very well, so they are all popular for
hanging baskets in seaside locations
Watch for whiteflies that like to attack lantana plants. You'll find
these tiny, white moth-like insects lurking under leaves. Get rid of
whiteflies as soon as you notice them because they multiply quickly.
White Flies are small winged insects. They have a powdery wax which both
protects them and is key to identification. They are active in all parts
of the USA and will thrive year round in the south but go dormant during
the winter in northern states The least toxic remedy that can be
sprayed onto your hanging baskets to combat any white flies is
insecticidal soap. Neem Oil also works well. Parts of Lantana are
toxic, including Lantana leaves if they are ingested - so be aware of
this when growing these flowers – but this should not stop you from
growing it. Lantana will reward you with colorful hanging baskets or
planters and did we mention all the butterflies you will get…
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