Lantana, a vibrant, sun-loving plant, adds continuous color and tropical flair to gardens with its clusters of brightly colored flowers. Integrating lantana with other plants through companion planting offers numerous advantages. This technique involves growing specific plants together to create a mutually beneficial environment, enhancing the garden ecosystem.
Benefits of Companion Planting with Lantana
Companion planting with lantana offers several advantages. Lantana’s nectar-rich blooms attract beneficial pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Pairing it with other pollinator-friendly plants amplifies this, creating a lively, biodiverse garden that supports other flowering and fruit-bearing plants. Lantana also deters common garden pests, being deer and rabbit resistant. Combining it with similar plants offers broader landscape protection. Additionally, companion planting improves soil health by fostering diverse root systems and microbial activity, leading to better nutrient cycling and water conservation.
Key Considerations for Companion Plants
Selecting appropriate companion plants for lantana requires matching their environmental needs. Lantana thrives in full sun, needing at least six to eight hours daily, so companions must also be sun-loving. Well-draining soil is essential, as lantana is drought-tolerant once established and dislikes soggy conditions; choose plants with similar water needs. Consider plant size and growth habit to prevent overcrowding and ensure adequate light and air circulation. Lantana typically grows one to three feet tall and wide, though some varieties reach five feet. Select companions that complement this habit, providing height contrast or filling lower spaces for a balanced display. Finally, consider aesthetic harmony, combining colors and textures that complement lantana’s vibrant blooms and foliage.
Top Companion Plant Recommendations
Several plants serve as excellent companions for lantana, offering practical benefits and visual appeal.
Flowering Plants
Salvia (sage): An outstanding choice for attracting pollinators, Salvias thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Their tall, spiky blooms provide vertical contrast to lantana’s mounding habit.
Pentas (Egyptian Star Clusters): These attract hummingbirds and butterflies with their star-shaped flowers and prefer full sun and well-drained conditions.
Verbena: With continuous blooms and drought tolerance, Verbena pairs well, especially low-growing or trailing varieties that can create a colorful carpet around lantana’s base.
Coneflowers (Echinacea): A robust option, offering large, daisy-like flowers that attract pollinators and tolerate full sun and dry soil once established.
Marigolds: These annuals provide continuous color and offer pest-deterring properties. Their warm hues blend well with lantana, and some varieties repel insect pests.
Herbs
Rosemary: A drought-tolerant evergreen shrub that thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, providing year-round structure and a fragrant backdrop.
Lavender: This Mediterranean herb shares similar growing preferences, and its purple blooms offer a soothing contrast to lantana’s brighter colors. These herbs add textural diversity and contribute to a more aromatic garden space.
Successful Planting and Maintenance
Proper planting and ongoing care are essential for a thriving companion arrangement.
Planting
Ensure adequate spacing between lantana and its companions for mature size and good air circulation; lantana can be spaced one to six feet apart depending on variety. Dig a hole slightly wider and deeper than the root ball, place the plant, backfill with soil, tamp gently, and water thoroughly.
Watering
Initial watering helps new plants settle. While lantana is drought-tolerant once established, consistent moisture is beneficial during the first growing season. Water when the top two inches of soil feel dry, increasing frequency during extreme heat.
Fertilization
Lantana does not require heavy feeding, as too much nitrogen can reduce flowering. Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer at planting; container plants may benefit from monthly feeding due to nutrient leaching.
Deadheading
Deadheading spent blooms on both lantana and its companions encourages continuous flowering. Removing faded flowers prevents seed formation, redirecting the plant’s energy into producing more blossoms.