There are areas in the landscape that are hot and dry but need summer color. Lantanas are an excellent choice of summer color in landscapes during excessively hot weather. This is a very heat-tolerant bedding plant that can also add color to decks and patios, containers and window boxes. Lantana has an advantage of not only being heat tolerant, but the plant can also withstand poor, dry soils. An added bonus is deer find the citrus-scented foliage unpalatable, so it’s deerproof.

The plant acclimates a few weeks after planting. Be sure to keep the plants well-watered and fertilized for the first two weeks. When established, the plants quickly spread, displaying colorful blooms that attract butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators.

These plants are best utilized in mass plantings in the landscape or as spot of color in baskets and planters. The most dominant color available at garden centers is yellow and orange, but the colors can range from solid white to light blue. Some lantana cultivars may reach heights of three to four feet, so choose carefully where you place these plants. Lantanas are perennials but grow as annuals in our area. There are a few cultivars that can survive if we have a mild winter. Miss Huff’, ‘Ham and Eggs’ and ‘Chapel Hill Yellow’ are hardy cultivars that often survive our winter weather. It’s not too late to plant if you can still find them. They will continue to thrive until frost. Go to https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lantana-camara/ for more detailed information on utilizing lantana in your landscape.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu.