Common lantana arrives from the West Indies and tropical America as a plant built for endurance. Growing anywhere from 1 to 6 feet tall depending on conditions and cultivar, it sprawls wider than it stands tall, spreading over borders and tumbling from containers with woody stems and rough, fragrant foliage. It tolerates poor soil, coastal salt spray, and spells of drought that would reduce more delicate plants to straw, while in the warmth of coastal North Carolina it overwinters as a true perennial.

The flowers run from midsummer through the first frost in colors spanning yellow, orange, pink, and red, their clustered heads shifting in hue as individual florets age. Butterflies and hummingbirds find them irresistible. In containers, hanging baskets, or as a sprawling groundcover in a pollinator or cottage garden, it fills space quickly; this vigor should be factored into placement decisions from the start. A few hardier cultivars handle Piedmont winters, making lantana more than just a warm-season gamble for gardeners willing to choose carefully.