Gold Mound Lantana

The Gold Mound Lantana, scientifically known as Lantana camara ‘Gold Mound’, is a vibrant and exceptionally hardy evergreen perennial shrub, celebrated for its prolific and long-lasting display of cheerful yellow flowers. This popular cultivar is a selection from the species Lantana camara, which is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, including the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America. It thrives in hot, sunny conditions and is incredibly adaptable to a wide range of well-drained soils, including poor or rocky ground. In Phoenix, Arizona, Gold Mound Lantana is an indispensable landscape plant, performing exceptionally well in the intense heat and sun. As a long-lived perennial, it can easily persist for 10-20 years or more, forming dense, colorful mounds.

Its most distinctive characteristics include its low-growing, spreading, and mounding growth habit, typically reaching 1-2 feet tall with a spread of 2-4 feet, making it an excellent groundcover or border plant. The leaves are small, ovate, dark green, and slightly rough or textured, emitting a characteristic spicy scent when crushed. The true spectacle of Gold Mound Lantana is its continuous and profuse bloom of bright golden-yellow flowers. These small, tubular flowers are arranged in dense, rounded clusters that resemble miniature bouquets and are produced almost non-stop from early spring through fall and often into mild winters in warm climates like Phoenix. The vibrant blooms are an absolute magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds, bringing constant activity and life to the garden. While the parent species produces small, dark berries (which can be toxic if ingested in large quantities), ‘Gold Mound’ is typically a sterile or near-sterile cultivar, producing few to no berries, which reduces mess and potential invasiveness. Its exceptional drought tolerance once established, extreme heat resistance, and minimal maintenance requirements make Gold Mound Lantana an outstanding choice for xeriscaping, rock gardens, mass plantings, borders, containers, and as a cheerful, low-water groundcover in any sunny landscape.