Lantana flowers are one of my favorite flowers in the late spring. So imagine my dismay when my display of flowers was not as prolific as last year! What had happened to prevent my lantana bloom? I went on a mission to discover and pinpoint the reason for this and to find out what I could do to get my lantana blooming.
So, what was the problem?
I was watering my lantana as often as other bedding plants, keeping the soil consistently moist as they established, which worked well for my daisies, but I learned I was overwatering lantana as they are far more drought tolerant than my other bedding plants.
With the fertile soil and plentiful watering, my lantana grew big with foliage, but there weren’t any flowers!
In my research, I also discovered a few other common reasons why your lantana might not be flowering, such as too much shade, slow-draining soil, and excess fertilizer.
I now work at a garden center, where one of my responsibilities is cultivating lantana from seed. Through firsthand experience and some trial and error, I know all the tips and secrets to get them to flower! (Or is that trowel and error?!)
In this post, I’ll share with you everything I have learned so you can identify the reason your lantana isn’t blooming and implement the solutions so you know how to make your lantana bloom!
1. Understanding Lantana Flowering Requirements: (Lantana Requires Some Stress to Flower)
So, have you overdone the TLC like I did with my lantana? My plant had too much moisture and highly fertile soil, which prevented it from blooming.
What we need to undertsand is that lantana is a rugged flowering plant that is native to dry tropical regions in Africa and the Americas where it thrives in scrubby environments with full sun, infrequent rainfall, and well-draining soil with relatively low fertility.
Therefore, my TLC was exactly the opposite of what the lantana wanted! Our lantana plants are specifically adapted to growing and flowering in these harsh conditions and thrive on neglect, which is a bit like lavender.
So what do we have to do to get our lantana to flower?
I’ve learned through some experimentation that to incentivize a lantana to flower you should recreate these conditions as much as possible in your garden rather then give them too much care and attention.
I’ve learned that lantana actually require some stress to flower, so if they are overwatered, in consistently moist soil, and have regular applications of fertilizer, then this tends to result in a lantana with foliage but without flowers, which is exactly what happened to me!
- Lantana prefers scrub conditions and grows in soils with relatively low fertility, so avoid using any fertilizer to promote flowers.
- Scale back the watering. Lantanas that are established most often do not require any additional watering and attain all the moisture they require from rainfall as they prefer the soil slightly on the dry side.
Now I’ve learned this, my lantana gets much less water than my other bedding plants. The only occasions I water my lantana are in times of extended drought, when planted in pots or whilst they are establishing after planting.
I only water pots once per week at most, as pots can dry out if they are in full sun due to the limited capacity of soil to hold moisture.
I advise watering early in the morning to avoid damp soil overnight and always water at the base of the plant and not overhead to prevent leaf fungus.
Of course, I do not use any fertilizer, either. I have actually experimented quite a lot over the years with lantana potting soil, and I’ve found that they flower much better when I amend the soil with sand or grit, which, of course, helps drainage, but also the sand doesn’t contribute nutrients to the soil so it effectively lowers the fertility of the soil and emulates the soil.
I found that planting in fertile garden compost there were fewer flowers and well-rotted manure also they was lots of foliage but no flowers.
After some trial and error, I found amending 70% potting soil or compost with 30% sand (by volume of your pot or planting area) had the most prolific flowers!
With less frequent watering and scaling back fertilizer, you can emulate the conditions that stimulate lantana to flower in their native habitat in your garden.
2. Is Your Lantana Sun Starved? Not Enough Sunlight to Flower
So, if you were to ask me…what’s the most important factor to get our lantana flowering? I would say sunlight!
Remember how we talked about lantana growing in the hot and dry climates of Africa and the Americas? Well in these climates they gots lots and sunlight!
So our Lantana in our gardens flower to their full potential when in the most amount of sun possible with more abundant flowers and a more pronounced fragrance.
I can say from experience that the less direct sun your lantana receives, the fewer flowers that will be on display in Summer.
As I said, lantana are native to the sunny conditions of Africa and the Americas but the place I’ve seen them flower the most when cultivated are in ‘Mediterranean’ climates where they are at the healthiest and flower the most in full sun.
Typically, the instructions from a garden center are that Lantana requires 6 or more hours of sun to flower during the Spring and Summer months, but in my experience, more sun is even better.
So if your lantana has significantly less than 6 hours of sun per day, the plant is under stress and won’t flower and also be more vulnerable to pests and diseases.
What I would do is cut back any vegetation that may be casting shade on your lantana and depriving it of light or plant your lantana on a pot so that you can move it to a sunny area such as a patio to promote flowering.
3. Inclement Forecast? Cloudy, Rainy Weather Prevents Your Lantana Blooming
I know this may seem obvious, but I think it is worth highlighting for beginner gardeners. We should adjust our expectations for flowering lantana to our climate! Do you live in the Pacific Northwest? Or perhaps a rainy corner of England? Your lantana may struggle to flower to the same extent that you see on Instagram!
The success of your lantana displaying the most flowers possible is dependent on the weather and can fluctuate significantly from year to year due to its sensitivity to certain conditions, such as excess moisture (from rainfall), soil fertility, and hours of sunshine.
Therefore, you should expect some natural variability in the amount of your lantana flowers from year to year.
If your lantana has not flowered well this year, then this may be a reaction to:
- Has it been cloudy? Too many overcast days in Spring or Summer deprive the lantana of the hours of sun it requires for flowering.
- Weeks of rainfall which may not be typical to your climate have created moist conditions that are at odds with lantana’s preferred relatively dry habitat.
- Lantana flowers more in hot weather. If the temperature is unseasonably cool, then this can have an impact on flowering.
I have grown lantana in both California, which is as close to an ideal climate you are going to get outside its native range, and its flowered great, but when I moved to Washington, it took some trial and error but I got it to flower well by locating it in full sun and adding more sand to the soil mix.
With more sand, the drainage was sharper, and the fertility was lower, which really made a difference to the number of flowers and how well my lantana grew!
The seasonal variability that affects the flowering of lantana is difficult to mitigate against, which is true of all types of garden plants, but that effect is more evident in the flowering of lantana due to its requirements for quite specific conditions of sun, heat, and relatively dry conditions, but as long as you take steps to recreate its preferred conditions then I promise you your lantana can flower better!
4. Why Are My Lantana in Pots Not Blooming?
Good question! There are several reasons why lantana may not be flowering (sunlight, overwatering, etc.), but I have found firsthand that there are some factors that pertain specifically to growing lantana in pots and containers that may prevent flowering.
If your potted lantana is not flowering, then this is usually because:
- The pot or container is too small, so there is less soil and, therefore, less nutrients and capacity to hold water.
- The material of the pot may dry out the soil too quickly, even for lantana.
- The pot or container does not have drainage holes in the base, which results in saturated soil and a water-stressed lantana that does not flower.
I’ve always found that lantanas do grow well in pots because of the favorable drainage conditions, however, small pots have less soil and dry out quickly as lantanas require full sun and warm temperatures to flower.
Excessive drought stress from being in a small pot can potentially prevent flowering.
Don’t worry! this has happened to me, and I have some solutions for you!
So if you’re in a hot climate, your lantana is in full sun (as it should be), but your pot is too small, then repot your lantana to a larger pot.
Pro tip: If you are in a really hot climate, I recommend planting lantana in a ceramic pot as they are impermeable, which means the soil can retain moisture for long enough for the lantana’s roots to draw it up. Clay and terracotta pots are porous, which means they can dry out in less than a day in the Summer sun, which is too quick even for your drought tolerant lantana!
I would also avoid plastic pots as I find these heat up much faster than ceramic pots, and warm soil means more evaporation and, therefore, dry soil, which impacts your lantana blooms!
I have always had the best success getting my lantana to flower in a relatively large ceramic pot.
As a bonus tip, I would also avoid using dark-colored pots, as black pots, in particular, just absorb all the day’s heat, and even your lantana is struggling for water.
However, if you are in a rainy climate (such as Washington, like me!), then I would actually recommend planting lantana in clay or terracotta pots as they prevent the soil from being too damp for long periods after rainfall, which can also impact flowering!
If there is one thing I’ve learned growing lantanas, it is that balance is key, as is tailoring the conditions for the plant to thrive.
We should also keep in mind that lantanas are not heavy feeders and prefer to lower fertility to stimulate flowering, but they can exhaust the nutrients in the soil if they are kept in the same pot for many years.
A larger pot with new compost and some horticultural grit should provide a good balance of nutrients whilst also retaining the well-draining soil characteristics that lantana requires to flower.
Important tip: After much trial and error, the best potting mix to promote lantana flowering is 70% compost to 30% sand or grit. This creates the perfect level of fertility and drainage for your lantana to flower.
In my experience, watering lantana in pots with a generous soak once per week is enough to prevent any drought stress, even in hot weather, to ensure a good display of flowers.
I would avoid watering if there has been significant rainfall in the week, as damp soil is more likely to harm flowering than drought.
Of course, you should always plant lantana in pots with drainage holes in the base to allow excess water to escape.
Some decorative pots do not have drainage holes in the base, which causes water to pool around the roots and increases the risk of root rot, which prevents flowering and can cause the plant to die back.
5. Why You’re Transplanted Lantana is Not Flowering (Transplant Shock)
So you’ve bought some lantana from the garden center, and after planting them at home, they are not flowering? What is the reason?
So what I’ve learned is that Lantana plants sometimes do not flower after planting because:
- The contrast in conditions from where the lantana was cultivated to your garden. As we have discussed, conditions such as hours of direct sun, temperature, soil moisture, and soil fertility all have a direct impact on how many lantana flowers there are. When your lantana is cultivated in a garden nursery, then it is likely to have been cultivated in optimal conditions with carefully controlled light, temperatures, soil, watering, etc. Then, it can take time for the lantana to adjust and acclimatize to the differing conditions in your garden. This period of adjustment caused by transplant shock can temporarily prevent flowering. However, your lantana can flower once it has adjusted as long as it has enough light and soil conditions and follows the best practices of care for lantana.
- The roots require time to establish in the soil. Our lantanas are drought-resistant once established but vulnerable to drought after planting, particularly if they are planted during the hot Summer rather than the cooler Spring. Ideally, I recommend planting lantana in Spring and watering frequently so that the soil is moist (but not boggy) for the first month, at which point the roots should begin to establish, and you can scale back the watering to periods of drought.
So what I’ve found is key is that you try to mimic the conditions of the lantana’s native environment with full sun, well-draining soil, infrequent watering, and avoid applying fertilizer then the lantana should adjust to its new conditions and start flowering in the Summer.
I always try to closely replicate the conditions of its natural environment, and my lantanas always bloom well.
6. Drainage Problems? How Your Slow-Draining Soil is Preventing Your Lantana from Flowering
As we talked about, about our lantanas are native to scrubby areas of Africa and the Americas, where they grow in relatively low fertility and sometimes quite sandy soil that drains quickly.
If your lantanas are growing in boggy soils or heavy clay, then this recreates the same effects as overwatering with too much water around the roots of your lantana, causing stress that prevents flowering and even promotes fungal diseases such as root rot.
If your garden has slow-draining soil, then my best advice is to grow lantana in pots, containers, or raised beds to ensure their favorable drainage characteristics.
From my experience, it is also far easier to customize the soil profile to suit Lantana rather than try to amend your slow-draining garden soil, which, trust me, is difficult work! (and not as effective).
When planting lantana in pots or garden borders, I would amend the soil with lots of compost as this holds some moisture but has a well-draining structure that allows excess water to drain away.
As we’ve discussed I recommend adding some horticultural grit, sand, or perlite to further improve drainage and to replicate the soil conditions of the lantanas native range, aiming for around 2 parts compost and 1 part grit.
I can assure you that well-draining soil that is similar to the soil in which they grow naturally gives lantana the best prospect of flowering in the Summer.
7. Have the Berries Set? Lantanas Prioritizes Berries More than Flowering
So your lanatana has stopped flowering all of a sudden? What you need to know is that Lantana may not flower if the berries are already set as there is less of an incentive. The berries indicate the plant has already been pollinated hence there is less purpose for the plant to produce flowers.
So if you are looking to buy a lantana for a nursery or garden center I advise, avoid any plants that already have berries as these are less likely to display flowers.
So how do we keep our lantanas flowering?
Regularly deadheading a lantana is key to increasing the longevity of the flowering period, so as soon as the flowers are looking past their best, I snip them off to stimulate more flowering.
What I’ve learned is that deadheading redirects the energy of the plant to produce more flowers rather than seeds.
8. Potential pets Problems: How Lantana Lace Bug Can Impact Flowering
So this one is not as common, but with me mentioning. The lantana lace bug is a pest that feeds on the sap of leaves and flower buds and causes white marks on the leaves, which can then fall off. This affects the plant’s ability to display flowers and is detrimental to the plant’s overall health.
To be honest the only time I’ve seen lanatana lace bugs becoming an issue is if the lantana is stressed by over fertile soil. Once I saw an infestation but the lantana had several applications of fertilizer which made the foliage growth droopy and vulnerable to inscets.
If you notice white marks on your leaves and evidence of insects then the best course of action is to spray the leaves with an insecticidal soap that is often derived from neem oil.
This soap is then sprayed onto the leaves and kills the lace bugs, but is non-toxic and should not harm other wildlife other than pests.
Insecticidal soap is available at garden centers and on Amazon for a reasonable price.
Once your lantana has been treated, it has more chance of flowering. However, an infestation can really adversely impact flowering for the Summer.
Do you have any more insights into lantana flowering or any more specific questions? If so, please leave a comment, as I’d love to hear from you!
Key Takeaways:
- The reasons for lantana not flowering are a lack of sun, overwatering, too much fertilizer, or a lantana lace bug that can stop flowering.
- Lantana requires full sun, well-draining soils, and warm weather to flower. Lantana flowers more in hotter and dryer years.
- Transplant shock can prevent lantana from flowering. To promote flowering, replicate the conditions of the lantana home range for transplant shock.
- Regular deadheading can promote more lantana flowering throughout the Summer.