Lantana is known for its continuous color and ability to thrive under punishing summer conditions. In cooler climates, this vigorous shrub is typically grown as a heat-loving annual, providing season-long blooms in containers and garden beds. Creating a successful container arrangement relies on companion planting, combining different plants to form a harmonious, aesthetically pleasing display. This technique ensures the arrangement is visually balanced and that all plants share the same basic requirements to thrive together. Selecting plant partners that flourish alongside the lantana, rather than competing with it, results in a cohesive and vibrant miniature garden.
Shared Environmental Needs for Successful Pairing
Any plant chosen to share a container with lantana must tolerate the same environmental stressors. The primary requirement is full sun exposure, meaning the container needs at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal flowering. Because lantana originates from tropical regions, companion plants must also withstand high heat and temperatures that cause other plants to wilt.
Proper drainage is essential, as lantana is highly susceptible to root rot if the soil remains wet. The potting mix should be high-quality and well-draining, requiring companion plants to tolerate a slightly drier soil environment. Lantana is not a heavy feeder; too much nitrogen can reduce flowering. Therefore, companion plants should thrive with a moderate, balanced fertilizer applied monthly, avoiding those that demand constant, rich nutrient levels.
Trailing Plant Suggestions for Container Edges
Trailing plants, often called “spillers,” soften container edges and add a dynamic, cascading element. These selections must be highly sun- and heat-tolerant to match the lantana’s needs.
Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas) is an excellent choice, providing a lush, dense contrast with its heart-shaped or lobed foliage. Cultivars like the lime-green or dark purple ‘Sweet Caroline’ varieties offer striking color contrast to the lantana’s bright blooms. This vigorous, heat-tolerant vine cascades quickly over the side of the pot, providing volume and texture.
Another superb flowering spiller is Calibrachoa, or Million Bells, which produces a continuous mass of small, petunia-like flowers. Varieties like ‘Superbells Plum’ share the lantana’s preference for full sun and well-drained soil, making them low-maintenance partners. Their fine texture and habit of blooming without deadheading make them ideal for a colorful waterfall effect.
For a non-flowering option, Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) offers bright, coin-shaped chartreuse leaves that spill over the rim. Its bright color effectively highlights the lantana’s blossoms. While it prefers slightly more moisture than lantana, it adapts well to the container’s well-drained conditions if watered consistently when the topsoil is dry.
Upright and Mounding Plant Suggestions
To add vertical interest and mass, the container needs “thriller” and “filler” plants that grow upward or create a substantial mounding shape. These structural companions prevent the arrangement from looking flat and provide a backdrop for the lantana.
Angelonia, or summer snapdragon, is a fantastic choice for a thriller, offering vertical spikes of color that contrast with the lantana’s mounding habit and rounded flower clusters. Its upright growth and ability to bloom continuously through intense summer heat make it a perfect match for the lantana. The linear shape of the angelonia’s flowers provides a necessary textural difference from the lantana’s blossoms.
Ornamental grasses, such as Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’), introduce height, texture, and movement. The graceful, arching, burgundy plumes create a striking architectural element against the colorful, dense lantana foliage. This grass variety is highly tolerant of sun and heat, fitting seamlessly into the low-water needs of the container.
Sun-tolerant varieties of Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) function well as fillers, using their dramatically colored foliage to provide mass and depth. Cultivars like ‘Colorblaze Chocolate Drop’ or other sun-loving series add rich tones of maroon, bronze, or bright green, complementing the lantana’s flowers. Coleus provides continuous color even if the lantana is temporarily between bloom cycles, thriving in the same high-light conditions.