Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lantana bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Lantana, Common lantana, Shrub verbena, Yellow sage, Red sage, West Indian lantana (Lantana camara).

More about lantana

About Lantana

Lantana camara · also called Lantana, Common lantana · flowering

Lantana camara is a heat-loving flowering shrub prized for clustered, colour-shifting blooms that draw butterflies all season. It thrives in full sun with well-drained soil and minimal water once established. The ASPCA lists it as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, so keep pets and grazing animals away from the foliage and berries.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Few or no flowers: Almost always too little light. Lantana needs full direct sun to bloom well; move it to the sunniest spot and avoid excess nitrogen fertiliser, which favours foliage over flowers.

The reasons lantana isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lantana traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding lantana a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get lantana to flower

Maximise sun. Give lantana the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for lantana and get the feeding right with the lantana fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Lantana flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full lantana care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lantana blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lantana flower?

Lantana blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make lantana bloom?

Give lantana the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does lantana normally bloom?