The longest flowering houseplant is lantana, home care

What kind of lighting does lantana need, does home care for it in winter differ? My husband gave me a pot for his birthday, in which grew as many as three bushes with different colors. I don't know if I did the right thing, but for now I left it on the summer terrace. I water it often, it is hot and dries up quickly here, I even sprayed it, I seem to like the flower. For the winter, of course, I will take it to the house, the seller told her husband that this is a houseplant. Is it going to rest or will it bloom in winter?

Its velvet leaves are somewhat reminiscent of mint, only with a pleasant herbaceous aroma, and lush inflorescences are similar to hydrangea. This is the beauty of lantana, home care for which is extremely simple. Despite its tropical roots, the plant does well in an apartment. And its long, from spring to late autumn, flowering puts lantana an order of magnitude higher than other indoor crops. After all, rarely which of them can please with such an abundance of bright flowers, and even for such a long time. This is very easy to achieve - you just need to provide the lanthanum with sunlight and regulate its growth by pruning. And the more young twigs she has, the more inflorescences you get.

Lantana - home care in detail

Lantana belongs to the vervain family and is an evergreen but variable (variable) shrub. Most of its species have erect, four-faced, branched stems, some of them are covered with thorns. But there are also creeping varieties, or rather, flowers with twigs spreading. They are grown as ampelous plants in flower pots. In "straight" lantana, the branches can grow up to 2 m in height, if they are not cut off. There are also undersized hybrids no more than 50 cm in height.

With age, old stems lignify and lose their foliage. But while they are young, they are densely covered with small oval leaves with a jagged edge and a velvety texture. The color is mostly monochromatic, green, although variegated varieties can be found.

Lantana blooms from spring and almost all autumn, sometimes even almost all year round. She has small flowers, collected in corymbose inflorescences, of the most varied colors. There are species in which multi-colored buds bloom on one peduncle.

Conditions of detention

Lantana loves sunlight, and it is he who is the key to abundant and long-lasting flowering. She can even stand on the south window, but only in adulthood. It is advisable to shade young plants from direct rays.

But the flower does not like the heat, it is more comfortable for it at 25 ° C heat in summer. In winter, lantana goes to rest. But it is not pronounced: the bush simply stops growing, it can drop foliage, but partially. During this period, lanthanum needs coolness and the temperature in the room should not exceed 14 ° C heat.

The flower generally tolerates dry air well, but it is advisable to spray it at least sometimes. Still, lantana is native to the humid tropics. Only during flowering is it necessary to ensure that water does not get on the buds. Otherwise, ugly brown spots will appear on them.

How to care for lantana depending on the season

Having created coziness and comfort for the plant, it remains only to maintain them:

1. In the summer, water the bush regularly, every 3 days. During a cool winter, it is enough to moisten the soil every 10-14 days.
2. In spring you can make organic, but since the summer - only mineral complexes for flowering plants. You need to fertilize lantana 2 times a month until the very end of September.
3. After the end of the dormant period, the bush needs pruning. He tolerates it well, moreover, the haircut only benefits. Lantana begins to give young shoots, and it is on them that buds are tied. In addition, it is easy to give the plant any shape.
4. It is advisable to replant the bush every year by the transshipment method with the renewal of the top layer of the soil.

The average life span of indoor lantana is up to 6 years. After that, it begins to lose its decorative appearance and requires rejuvenation. The easiest way to propagate a flower is by cuttings during spring pruning.

Growing and caring for lantana at home