WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Lantana camara ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water lantana in California

In July in the Central Valley, established lantana in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Lantana spreads into a flowering shrub that needs sun and freely draining soil. Heavy watering and feeding can favor leaves over flowers, but prolonged dryness also reduces bloom. Let soil moisture guide each soaking instead of trying to force flowers by withholding water.

Ground coverShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water lantana, month by month

Your city
Plant width
4 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for lantana and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry about 6 inches down beneath the outer stems signals that established lantana needs a deep soak
  • Dull leaves still limp in the morning can indicate thirst when the deeper soil is dry
  • Slow bloom with lush foliage can reflect shade, excess water or fertilizer rather than thirst alone
  • Yellow lower leaves or soft, dark stem bases over persistently damp soil can indicate overwatering

How to water it

  • Use drip or a slow hose beneath the lantana branches to keep flowers and foliage dry
  • Moisten soil about 12 inches deep beneath established lantana, checking below the surface before repeating irrigation
  • Mulch lightly with bark or gravel and leave the crown clear of damp material
  • Use a mound or slope in heavy clay and wait longer between soakings if the root zone stays wet
  • Move emitters outward as the lantana widens so water reaches roots beneath the outer branches

Through the seasons

Keep a new lantana root ball evenly moist through its first summer and widen coverage as roots spread. Established shrubs need deeper soakings guided by soil checks. Growth and bloom are strongest in warm weather. Plants can stay evergreen on the mild south coast, while north-central coastal fog slows bloom. Frost can kill top growth, and a hard freeze can kill the plant. Winter rain can supply coastal and Central Valley roots; check both deserts through dry winter spells. WUCOLS rates lantana low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. It rates moderate water in the high desert and the low desert.

In pots

Lantana baskets carry a leafy, flowering top over a small volume of mix exposed to sun and wind. Check the top inch or two daily during California heat waves, watering when dry. Soak until excess leaves the drainage holes and empty any saucer. A basket can dry faster than a sheltered pot, so check again if heat persists. In winter, let mix dry deeper between soakings and move frost-tender containers under cover at cold sites.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.761.52.33.00.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Lantana: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.310.740.78
Feb0.210.260.320.350.930.93
Mar0.350.430.460.521.461.52
Apr0.470.610.560.641.891.95
May0.580.830.640.782.392.45
Jun0.640.990.690.922.852.79
Jul0.641.070.7913.042.85
Aug0.60.950.740.932.792.6
Sep0.50.720.60.742.142.08
Oct0.350.470.460.531.461.49
Nov0.190.220.330.360.930.96
Dec0.120.140.260.270.650.68
Year4.86.846.27.3721.2721.08

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated low water in the Central Valley, like lantana. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes lantana, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water lantana in summer?

In July, established lantana in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does lantana need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established lantana needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 gallons a day for a plant 8 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for lantana change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates lantana separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Can you overwater lantana?

Yes. A lantana spreading over lawn sprinklers can hide repeated wetting at its woody crown. Redirect that spray and check for leaks beneath the branches.

How do I water lantana after planting?

Feel the nursery root ball itself because it can dry sooner than surrounding ground. Soak that area and extend coverage as roots move out. Do not leave the same small spot as the only source of water all summer.

Why does my lantana basket dry so quickly?

Full sun and air around the basket expose a small root volume to heat. Check the mix as well as the flowers, which can drop after a hard dry-out. Water thoroughly when needed instead of repeatedly sprinkling the surface.

Why is my lantana not flowering?

Check whether spent lantana flower clusters have developed into berries. Removing spent clusters can support further flowering, while soil checks determine whether water is needed.

How should I water frost-damaged lantana?

Reduce irrigation when cold has stopped top growth, but keep checking during long dry spells. Wait until spring to assess and trim damaged wood. A plant that remains green still needs moisture checks through winter.

More plant watering guides

Necklace TreeCoralberryPurple MulleinBailey AcaciaSilver WattleGreen WattleSydney Golden WattleBlackwood Acacia

Sources