Lantana plants are widely available at local garden centers, big-box home improvement stores, and through online nurseries that ship live plants directly to your door. The real challenge is not finding lantana for sale but choosing the right cultivar for your region, because some forms of this popular flowering shrub are classified as seriously invasive and are restricted or banned in certain states. Where you buy and what you buy both matter, and the decision involves a few considerations that go well beyond picking a pretty color.
Local Garden Centers and Big-Box Retailers
For most gardeners, the fastest route to a lantana plant is a local nursery or a chain like Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Walmart. During spring and summer, these stores typically carry several lantana varieties in the outdoor bedding-plant section, usually in four-inch pots or one-gallon containers. Independent garden centers tend to stock a wider and more curated selection, and staff there can often tell you which cultivars perform well in your specific area and whether a particular variety has been bred to be low-seed or seedless.
Buying locally has a practical advantage beyond convenience: you can inspect the plant before you pay. Look at the undersides of the leaves. The lantana lace bug, a common pest, feeds on leaf undersides and causes yellow spotting that progresses to silvery-white bronzing before leaves brown and drop. You may also notice black, varnish-like excrement spots and shed skins stuck to the leaf surface, all reliable signs of an active infestation.1Florida Entomologist. Resistance Among Lantana Cultivars to the Lantana Lace Bug, Teleonemia scrupulosa (Hemiptera: Tingidae) A plant that looks healthy on top but shows these symptoms underneath is not a bargain at any price. Flip pots over, check for root-bound tangles poking from drainage holes, and pass on anything with wilted or chlorotic foliage that does not perk up after watering.
If you live in a state where certain lantana forms are regulated, a reputable local nursery is your safest bet because they are subject to the same state plant-sale rules you are. Florida, for instance, classifies the common weedy form of Lantana camara as a Category I invasive species, and nurseries there increasingly carry only cultivars bred to be infertile.2EDIS. ‘Bloomify™ Red’ and ‘Bloomify™ Rose’, Two Infertile Lantana camara Cultivars for Production and Use in Florida A garden center in such a state that still sells the old-fashioned weedy type is a red flag about its overall reliability.
Online Nurseries and What to Expect
Dozens of online nurseries sell lantana year-round. Companies like Proven Winners, Monrovia, Costa Farms, and various independent growers ship rooted plants in pots, typically via priority mail or two- to three-day ground shipping. Many also sell through Amazon and Etsy, where third-party growers list plugs, starter plants, or larger specimens. The upside is selection: online you can find named cultivars, trailing forms for hanging baskets, and newer sterile varieties that may not have reached your local stores yet.
The downside is transit stress. Plants shipped in dark boxes for several days experience real physiological consequences. Research on ornamental plants shipped in darkness shows that extended dark periods cause measurable drops in chlorophyll, leaf yellowing, and hormonal stress responses. Carbohydrate reserves in shoots can hold steady for a while but drop sharply once shipping stretches past a certain window, and stress hormones spike in both shoots and roots.3Scientia Horticulturae. Changes in carbohydrate content, hormonal status, and post-shipping performance as affected by simulated dark shipping duration in Phalaenopsis That study focused on orchids, which are more sensitive than lantana, but the principle is the same: the longer a plant sits in a dark box, the harder it has to work to recover. Lantana is tougher than an orchid, but ordering during a heat wave or choosing the slowest shipping option still increases the risk of receiving a stressed, floppy plant.
When ordering online, a few practical steps reduce problems. Choose the fastest shipping option you can afford. Order in spring or early fall rather than mid-July, when boxes can bake in delivery trucks. Unbox the plant immediately, water it, and set it in bright but indirect light for a day or two before transplanting into full sun. Most lantana bounces back quickly from mild shipping stress, but giving it a brief adjustment period helps.
Why Cultivar Choice Matters More Than Where You Shop
Lantana’s reputation as an easy, colorful, butterfly-attracting plant is well earned. But the genus has a split personality. The species Lantana camara, in its weedy forms, is one of the 100 worst invasive alien species globally. It aggressively displaces native vegetation, reduces species diversity in natural ecosystems, and suppresses agricultural production in tropical and subtropical regions.4PubMed Central. Compounds Involved in the Invasive Characteristics of Lantana camara In places like India, weedy lantana has overrun forest floors and physically obstructed forestry operations.5Biological Invasions. Status, invasiveness and environmental threats of three tropical American invasive weeds in India
The cultivars sold in garden centers are not all equally problematic. Plant breeders have spent decades developing varieties that flower prolifically but produce few or no viable seeds. In Florida, where the problem is acute, the University of Florida released ‘Bloomify Red’ and ‘Bloomify Rose’ specifically as infertile alternatives to the invasive wild type.2EDIS. ‘Bloomify™ Red’ and ‘Bloomify™ Rose’, Two Infertile Lantana camara Cultivars for Production and Use in Florida Other popular low-fertility or sterile lines include many of the Landmark, Luscious, and Bandana series cultivars, which are widely available both locally and online.
This means that when you are shopping, the cultivar name on the tag is arguably more important than the store name on the building. Look for cultivars explicitly labeled as sterile, infertile, or low-seed. If the tag just says “lantana” with no cultivar name and no further information, you could be buying a weedy form capable of producing thousands of seeds per plant per season. That matters even in colder climates where the plant dies back in winter, because birds spread seeds into wild areas where they may germinate during warm months.
Invasive-Species Regulations and State Restrictions
Not all lantana is legal to sell or plant everywhere. State and local regulations vary widely, and failing to check them before buying can mean a fine or a plant you are legally obligated to remove. Florida’s restrictions on fertile L. camara forms are the best known, but Texas, Hawaii, and several other warm-climate states have advisory lists or outright prohibitions on certain forms. Australia and South Africa have some of the strictest controls globally, banning the import and sale of multiple lantana types.
The regulatory picture is likely to get more complicated, not simpler. Modeling research using climate projections predicts that lantana’s invasion risk will increase substantially on every continent as temperatures rise. The most dramatic jump is projected for Europe, where suitable habitat for establishment could expand by over 250% compared to current levels. At least 45 countries, including the United States, Canada, India, and Italy, are projected to shift from low invasion risk to high invasion risk under future climate scenarios.6Global Ecology and Conservation. Global invasion risk assessment of Lantana camara, a highly invasive weed, under future environmental change As that risk grows, more jurisdictions will likely tighten the rules around which lantana forms can be sold.
If you are ordering online from a nursery in another state, the seller is generally responsible for knowing interstate shipping rules for regulated plants. But “generally responsible” and “actually compliant” are not the same thing, especially with smaller Etsy or eBay sellers. Before ordering, check your state’s department of agriculture website for any noxious-weed or invasive-species lists that include Lantana camara. When in doubt, buying a named sterile cultivar from an established nursery sidesteps most regulatory headaches.
Protecting Native Lantana Species
Here is a wrinkle most buyers never consider: there are native lantana species in parts of the United States, and the weedy exotic type threatens them through hybridization. In Florida, Lantana depressa is an endangered native species. The invasive exotic lantana readily crosses with it, producing hybrids that blur the genetic and physical boundaries between the two. Research has shown that this hybridization reduces the ability to accurately classify wild plants by 7 to 17%, because hybrids look like intermediates between the native and the exotic.7Conservation Genetics. Using genetic and morphological analysis to distinguish endangered taxa from their hybrids with the cultivated exotic pest plant Lantana strigocamara That same study found that despite widespread hybridization, wild populations still contain individuals that are predominantly native, supporting efforts to remove the exotic form and promote sales of genetically confirmed native plants.
If you garden in Florida or other areas with native lantana species and want to support local ecosystems, seek out nurseries that specifically sell native Lantana depressa or other regionally appropriate native species. The Florida Association of Native Nurseries and similar regional organizations maintain directories of growers who specialize in verified native stock. These plants look somewhat different from the showy exotic cultivars, with smaller flowers and a more compact growth habit, but they support local wildlife without the genetic contamination risk.
The Pollinator Factor
A major reason people buy lantana in the first place is to attract butterflies and other pollinators. The plant delivers on that promise, and the science behind why is genuinely interesting. Lantana flowers change color as they age, typically shifting from yellow to orange to red over the course of a few days. This is not just decorative: the color change functions as an honest signal to pollinators. Yellow flowers, the freshest ones, contain more nectar with higher sugar concentration. Pollinators learn this quickly and preferentially visit the yellow flowers for the best reward.8Journal of Pollination Ecology. Honest signalling and the billboard effect: how Heliconiid pollinators respond to the trichromatic colour changing Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae)
But the older, color-changed flowers are not useless. Research on a related species, Lantana undulata, found that when the spent white flowers were manually removed from inflorescences, the overall attractiveness of those flower clusters to pollinators dropped significantly. The old flowers serve as a long-distance “billboard,” making the whole flower cluster more visible and drawing pollinators in from farther away, even though the pollinators zero in on the rewarding younger flowers once they arrive.9Flora. Retention of colour-changed flowers increases pollinator attraction to Lantana undulata inflorescences The practical takeaway for buyers: do not deadhead too aggressively. Leaving the spent flowers on the plant for a while actually increases its pollinator traffic by maintaining that visual beacon.
When shopping specifically for pollinator appeal, multi-colored cultivars that display the classic yellow-to-red color progression tend to be the most attractive to the widest range of pollinator species. Solid-color cultivars still attract pollinators but lack the honest-signaling system that makes wild-type lantana so effective.
Lace Bugs and What They Mean for Your Purchase
The lantana lace bug is common enough that it deserves its own discussion for anyone buying plants. This tiny insect lives on the undersides of leaves and can build large populations quickly. Symptoms progress from yellow leaf spotting to silver-white bronzing, and eventually to browning and leaf drop. Heavily infested plants lose vigor and flower less in late summer and fall.1Florida Entomologist. Resistance Among Lantana Cultivars to the Lantana Lace Bug, Teleonemia scrupulosa (Hemiptera: Tingidae)
Cultivars vary considerably in their susceptibility. Some are magnets for lace bugs while others resist them well. Research has documented these differences, and if lace bugs are a known problem in your area, it is worth asking your nursery which cultivars hold up best. Online descriptions rarely mention lace bug resistance, which is another advantage of buying from a knowledgeable local source. If you notice an infestation after purchase, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil applied to the leaf undersides can control populations, but the best defense is choosing a resistant cultivar in the first place.
Setting Up Your Lantana for Success After Purchase
Lantana is widely regarded as a tough, drought-tolerant landscape plant, and the science supports that reputation up to a point. In controlled irrigation experiments, lantana maintained leaf area and leaf count under moderate water reduction, with significant declines only under severe water stress at about a quarter of full water capacity. Photosynthesis slowed under drought stress primarily because the plant closed its stomata to conserve water, a standard survival mechanism.10PubMed. Leaf physiological and anatomical responses of Lantana and Ligustrum species under different water availability In practice, this means established lantana handles dry spells well, but newly purchased plants need consistent watering for the first few weeks while roots establish in new soil.
Full sun is non-negotiable for good performance. Lantana in partial shade gets leggy, flowers less, and becomes more susceptible to fungal issues. Plant in well-drained soil, because waterlogged roots rot quickly. If your soil is heavy clay, raised beds or container planting are better options.
One practical note for gardeners using reclaimed or recycled water: research on potted lantana irrigated with treated wastewater found that reused water caused excessive uptake of chloride, sodium, and boron in the leaves. This led to defoliation, leaf burn, and chlorosis, reducing both growth and visual quality.11Scientia Horticulturae. Effects of diluted and undiluted treated wastewater on the growth, physiological aspects and visual quality of potted lantana and polygala plants So while lantana tolerates drought and heat, it does not tolerate salty or chemically loaded water as well as some other tough landscape plants.
Salt Tolerance and Tough Sites
That said, lantana hybrids show surprisingly good tolerance to moderately saline irrigation water when the salts come in the right form. A study testing ten herbaceous landscape species found that Lantana × hybrida ‘New Gold’ maintained its visual appearance and shoot growth even when irrigated with saline water up to an electrical conductivity of about 5.4 dS/m, a level that would stress many common garden plants.12PubMed Central. Growth and Landscape Performance of Ten Herbaceous Species in Response to Saline Water Irrigation This makes certain lantana cultivars good candidates for coastal landscapes, roadside plantings where salt spray is an issue, or sites irrigated with non-potable water of moderate salinity.
The distinction between the wastewater sensitivity noted above and the salt tolerance here comes down to what is in the water. Moderate sodium chloride salinity is one thing; a cocktail of chloride, boron, and other industrial byproducts in reclaimed wastewater is another. If you are gardening in a coastal or semi-arid environment and relying on well water with moderate mineral content, lantana should handle it. If you are using heavily treated municipal reclaimed water, watch for the leaf burn symptoms and switch to tap water if they appear.
Toxicity and Household Safety
Lantana camara is toxic to livestock and pets if ingested. The berries are the most concentrated source of the plant’s toxic compounds, pentacyclic triterpenoids called lantadenes, but leaves can also cause problems. Cattle, sheep, horses, and dogs are all susceptible to lantana poisoning, which affects the liver and can cause photosensitization, a painful skin reaction to sunlight in affected animals. The unripe green berries are more toxic than ripe black ones, and children occasionally eat them because they look like small blueberries.
If you have young children, dogs that chew on plants, or livestock with access to your garden, factor toxicity into your buying decision. Sterile cultivars that produce few or no berries reduce the fruit-related risk, though the leaves remain mildly toxic. Placing lantana in hanging baskets, elevated planters, or fenced garden areas keeps it out of reach. The plant’s toxicity is a real consideration, not a reason to avoid it entirely. Millions of households grow lantana without incident by simply keeping it away from animals and small children who might eat it.