Culture: Lantana camara

‘Sunset Orange’ Inset: ‘Sunny Side Up’Lantana camara

Plant Introductions Inc. has introduced a collection of seven lantanas. In 2008 the company introduced ‘Chapel Hill Yellow.’ This tender perennial (USDA Hardiness Zone 7) combines the increased cold hardiness of ‘Miss Huff’ with the low, spreading growth habit of ‘New Gold.’ Additional releases include: ‘Chapel Hill Gold’ in 2009, Vanilla Ice in 2010 and this year ‘Sunny Side Up,’ ‘Apricot Sunrise,’ ‘Sunset Orange’ and Miss Tara.

Plants are hardy to Zones 8-11. They are tender perennials in Zone 7 and may come back depending on the winter’s precipitation and temperatures. Plants can be used in mass landscape plantings, containers, perennial borders and anywhere else there is a need for color all summer.

Plant 72-cell liners into any well-drained growing medium with a pH of 5.8-6.2 and electrical conductivity of 1.0-2.0. A peat-based mix is suitable for small containers and a bark-based mix can be used in larger containers. One liner planted in a 4-inch pot finishes in about four weeks. For 6-inch and 1 gallon containers, production time is six to eight weeks.

• Grow plants at 70°F-80°F during the day and 60°F -70°F at night. Maintain a light level of 5,000-7,000 footcandles.
• Provide continuous feed of 150-200 parts per million of nitrogen using a general purpose fertilizer with supplemental iron as needed.
• Plant growth regulators are not necessary, but Florel, Sumagic or Bonzi at medium rates are effective. Plants can be pruned or pinched once or twice to produce a fuller habit. For 4-inch pots, make one pinch after liners root out (about two weeks after planting). An additional pinch can be made about two weeks later for 6-inch pots and four weeks later for 1-gallon containers.
• Whitefly and thrips are the main insect pests. Diseases are not really an issue, but a preventive fungicide can be applied.
   

Did you know?
A portion of the royalty from the sale of ‘Chapel Hill Yellow’ and ‘Chapel Hill Gold’ will be donated to the Sweet Melissa Fund (http://sweetmelissafund.org) for lung transplant patients and their families at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.