Miss Huff lantana

Sun

Full sun; flowering is best with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Established plants tolerate drought; container plants need more frequent watering.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including sandy or gravelly soil. Avoid ground that stays wet in winter.

Height

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Flowers

Early summer until frost, with yellow flowers aging through orange to pink within each cluster; flowering may start later in cool climates.

Foliage

Rough, toothed, dark green leaves with a strong scent when crushed.

Growth

Fast in warm weather.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.7 ft (0.81 m)

3. After 2 years

   4 ft (1.1 m)

4. After 3 years

   5 ft (1.4 m)

5. After 5 years

   5 ft (1.5 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Invasive in

the US and Australia

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant after frost when the soil has warmed, allowing room for its full spread.
• Water deeply during establishment, then let the soil surface dry between waterings.
• Use little fertilizer; rich feeding encourages leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
• In colder parts of its range, mulch the root area after the ground cools, keeping mulch clear of the crown.
• Move container plants into a bright, frost-free place before winter if you want to keep them.

Pruning. Where frost kills the stems, leave them standing through winter and cut back to live growth once new shoots appear in spring; emergence can be late. In frost-free gardens, shorten crowded or overlong stems in late winter or early spring.

Late winter

In frost-free gardens, thin crowded stems and shorten the plant before vigorous growth resumes.

Spring

Wait for new shoots before removing winter-killed stems; do not assume a slow-starting crown is dead.

Late spring

Plant outdoors after frost, once the soil is warm, and water thoroughly.

Summer

Water new plants during dry weather and check container plants frequently.

Late summer

Take nonflowering cuttings if you want replacement plants for next year.

Autumn

Bring pots under frost-free cover before frost; leave outdoor stems standing and mulch established plants where winters are cold.

• Place toward the back of a sunny border, with lower plants in front to accommodate its broad summer growth.
• Combine with salvias and ornamental grasses for a long-flowering, heat-tolerant planting.
• Use as a seasonal focal point in a large patio container.
• Plant in a sunny butterfly border where its flowers can be watched at close range.

Garden styles it suits: Southern, Pollinator garden, Hot border, Tropical, Low-maintenance and Mediterranean.

Plant it with: Mealycup sage, Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly weed, Little bluestem and Zinnia.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for butterflies, bees and other visiting insects. It is not a substitute for locally native caterpillar host plants.

• Winter crown rot: improve drainage and avoid wet, heavy soil, especially near its cold limit.
• Failure to regrow after winter: cold can kill even established plants; choose a sheltered site and allow time for late spring emergence.
• Whiteflies or spider mites: inspect leaf undersides, rinse affected foliage and use insecticidal soap according to the label if needed, avoiding open flowers.
• Poor flowering: move to full sun and reduce high-nitrogen fertilizer.

Toxic to dogs, cats, horses and people if eaten. Leaves and unripe berries are particular concerns; ingestion can cause digestive upset, and substantial exposure can cause serious liver injury, especially in grazing animals. Sap or foliage may irritate skin. Keep it away from livestock and do not treat any berries as edible.

Where it spreads. The Lantana camara complex is invasive in Florida, Hawaii, parts of the southeastern United States and tropical and subtropical Australia. 'Miss Huff' generally produces little or no viable seed, but this does not exempt it from local restrictions. Lantana is regulated in much of Australia; check state and local rules before buying or planting.

• Common lantana (Lantana camara)

  Many cultivars have similar multicoloured flower clusters. 'Miss Huff' cannot be identified reliably by flower colour alone;

• Trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis)

  Usually forms a low, spreading or cascading plant with smaller leaves and lilac-purple flowers, rather than the tall, upright growth and mixed warm colours of 'Miss Huff'.

Lantana comes from an older Latin name associated with viburnum, whose flower clusters were thought to resemble those of lantana.

Propagation. Take softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root them in a moist, free-draining medium under bright, indirect light. Seed is not a reliable way to reproduce this cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Lantana

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.