How to Grow Lantana Camara From Seed

Place the Lantana camara seeds in a bowl of warm water for three days, changing the water daily. Check the seeds daily, pick out the swollen ones and plant them immediately. Those that don't swell should be soaked in hot-to-the-touch water for one day before planting.

Choose a germination container. If you are planting many seeds, a nursery flat is ideal. For smaller plantings, use nursery pots. Fill the container with a peat-based seeding mix, available at commercial nurseries and online retailers.

Place the Lantana camara seeds on the surface of the mix, and sprinkle sand or vermiculite over them until they are barely covered. The seeds need light to germinate, so don't bury them. Cover the container with plastic wrap, or insert it into a plastic bag and seal it.

Place the heat mat in an area with bright but indirect sunlight. Set the thermostat to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and place the container on top of it. The plastic should act as a greenhouse and keep moisture in the soil, but check the soil periodically and dribble water over it if it is drying out. Germination may be erratic, but the seeds should sprout from within 14 to 60 days.

Remove the plastic wrap or bag when the Lantana camara seeds sprout. Keep the soil moist, and allow the container to remain in the same area.

Transplant the lantana seedlings into the garden when the air temperature remains at 75 degrees Fahrenheit or above. Pick a sunny spot, loosen the soil and plant the seedlings at the same depth that they were growing in the germination container.

Keep the soil moist as the seedlings become established. When you notice new growth, begin decreasing how often you water the plants until you are giving them 1 inch of water a week. Although lantana is drought-tolerant, you will get more flowers if you water the plant consistently.

Fertilize the Lantana camara every spring as soon as you notice new growth. Use an all-purpose fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, and use the amount suggested on the label. Water the soil to 6 inches deep after fertilizing, and hose off any granules that land on the plant's foliage.