The best way to start with lantanas is to buy a plant, which will usually have been raised from a cutting taken the previous year. If the plant consists mainly of new green growth it will have been a summer cutting, but if the growth is woody it will be a cutting from the previous spring.
If necessary shorten the shoots back to two pairs of leaves, assuming that your purchase has been made in spring, to give the plant a good shape and to make it bushy. Lantanas have a tendency to make straggly growth, and any weak growths are better removed altogether. The pruning of the plant is most important if you wish to produce a well-balanced attractive flowering plant, and if it is done in late spring you will be rewarded with more prolific flowering in summer.
Lantanas are propagated by cuttings which are taken in the spring or autumn. They are taken in the usual way by cutting immediately below a node about 3 - 4 in ( 7 . 5 - 10 cm) from the growing tip. Remove all the leaves except the top pair and root in a suitable cutting compost using a hormone rooting powder to ensure success. Cover with a plastic dome or a polythene bag for about two weeks, and when it can be seen that the cuttings have made some top growth they should be potted in 3'/2-in (9-cm) pots in compost E6 or JI No.2.
