Lantana camara 'Monike' Teenie Genie

Teenie Genie® Compact Lantana

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What is Teenie Genie Lantana?

Teenie Genie Lantana, botanically known as Lantana camara 'Monike', is a compact and highly resilient evergreen shrub. This selection is a dwarf variety of the species, which is native to the tropical regions of Central and South America. Landscape architects specifically value this cultivar for its exceptionally tight, mounded growth habit and its ability to thrive in the intense heat and sun of the southern United States. Unlike other varieties that may become invasive or leggy, Teenie Genie is bred to remain orderly and sterile, making it a sustainable choice for high-end residential and commercial designs.

What Does Teenie Genie Lantana Look Like?

This plant is characterized by a dense, globe-like architectural form that typically reaches a maximum height and width of only 12 to 15 inches. The foliage consists of small, dark green, ovate leaves with a slightly rough texture and a distinctively spicy aroma when crushed. Because it maintains such a precise, compact shape without the need for constant shearing, it serves as a perfect structural element for formal borders or as a clean, low-maintenance ground cover. Designers often use it to provide consistent greenery and texture in spaces where larger shrubs would be too overwhelming.

Does Teenie Genie Lantana Flower?

Teenie Genie is a prolific bloomer, producing a nearly continuous display of multicolored flower clusters from spring until the first frost. Each rounded cluster features a vibrant mix of yellow and bright orange florets that transition in hue as they mature. Because this selection is sterile, it does not produce berries, allowing the plant to redirect all its energy into constant flower production rather than seed development. This results in a reliable and extended season of color that keeps landscapes looking vibrant throughout the hottest months of the year.

How Much Sun and Water Does Teenie Genie Lantana Need?

To reach its full potential, Teenie Genie Lantana requires full sun exposure, meaning at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. While it is famously drought-tolerant once established, providing regular water during the first growing season helps the root system take hold. In desert or high-heat environments, this selection is highly effective for xeriscaping, as it can withstand reflected heat from pavement or buildings. It prefers well-drained soil and is highly adaptable to various soil types, provided they do not hold excessive standing water.

What Wildlife Uses Teenie Genie Lantana?

Despite its compact size, this plant is a powerhouse for supporting local biodiversity. The nectar-rich blooms are a major draw for a variety of pollinators, including butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds. Because it blooms almost year-round in frost-free climates, it provides a consistent and dependable food source when other flowering plants may be dormant. Landscape architects often integrate this selection into pollinator gardens and habitat restorations to ensure a steady supply of nectar for local winged wildlife.

What is the Cultural Significance of Teenie Genie Lantana?

Lantana species have been a staple of tropical and subtropical gardens for centuries, often symbolizing longevity and resilience due to their ability to flourish in harsh conditions. In many cultures, the aromatic foliage is recognized for its traditional uses in regional landscapes. For modern designers, using the Teenie Genie selection represents a contemporary evolution of this classic plant, offering the same cultural charm and color of traditional Lantana but in a refined, non-invasive form that meets modern ecological standards.

What Challenges Come with Teenie Genie Lantana?

The primary challenge with Teenie Genie is ensuring it receives enough light; in shady conditions, the plant may lose its tight, mounded shape and flower less frequently. While it is generally pest-resistant, designers should occasionally monitor for lace bugs in particularly humid environments. One of its greatest advantages for professional projects is that the foliage is highly deer-resistant, making it a dependable option for sites where browsing wildlife typically destroys other flowering perennials. It is also cold-sensitive and may act as an annual in regions with freezing winters.

How Do You Use Teenie Genie Lantana in Landscape Design?

Teenie Genie is a versatile tool for creating clean lines and vibrant color pops in a variety of landscape styles. Its dwarf habit makes it an ideal candidate for container gardening, hanging baskets, or as a low-growing hedge along walkways and entries. Designers also use it in mass plantings to create a seamless carpet of color that requires very little maintenance. Its ability to handle heat and drought makes it a top choice for median strips, parking lot islands, and sustainable urban green spaces where resource inputs must be kept to a minimum.

Why Do Landscape Architects Choose Teenie Genie Lantana?

Landscape architects and designers choose Lantana camara 'Monike' because it delivers maximum visual impact with minimal maintenance. It offers a solution for small-scale spaces that require year-round interest and pollinator support without the risk of spreading into native ecosystems. The combination of heat tolerance, deer resistance, and a sterile, non-invasive habit makes it a reliable and responsible choice for creating beautiful, water-wise landscapes that stand up to the rigors of modern environmental challenges.

FAMILY

Verbenaceae

MATURE HEIGHT

2.5 ft

GROWTH HABIT

The Lantana camara 'Monike' (Teenie Genie Lantana) is a moderate-growing, evergreen, multi-stemmed shrub with an extremely compact and dense mounding growth habit. It naturally forms a symmetrical, rounded shape, typically reaching a mature size of about 30 inches (75 cm) both in height and width, and requires little to no pruning to maintain its form. The plant is characterized by a freely branching habit with short internodes, contributing to its bushy and uniform appearance.

WATER REQUIREMENT

Moderate Water

HARDY TO

20°F

NATIVE REGION

Tropical Americas, naturalized in Florida.

TYPE

Perennial

SOIL TYPE

Lantana camara 'Monike', the Teenie Genie Lantana, thrives in average, well-drained soils and is not particular about the specific soil type, as it is tolerant of chalk, clay, loam, and sand conditions. The most critical requirement is excellent drainage to prevent root rot, as the plant does not tolerate consistently soggy soil. While adaptable to a wide pH range (from 5.5 to 8.5), it slightly prefers an acidic to neutral soil pH, ideally between 6.0 and 6.5. For optimal growth, the soil should be kept evenly moist until the plant is established, after which it becomes highly drought-tolerant.

MAINTENACE TIPS

Maintenance requirements for this variety are considered low, as it is heat and drought-tolerant once established. New plantings require regular, deep watering to develop a strong root system, but established plants need infrequent watering (about an inch per week if no rain occurs), as overwatering can lead to root rot. Fertilization is minimal; a light application of a balanced granular fertilizer in the spring is usually sufficient, as too much fertilizer encourages foliage growth over blooms.

ELEVATION

to 5600 feet

2.5 ft

MATURE WIDTH

LEAF SHAPE

The leaves of Lantana camara 'Monike', known as Teenie Genie Lantana, are simple, ovate (egg-shaped), and arranged oppositely along the stem. They are a rich green color, broadleaf evergreen, and feature a distinct fuzzy or tomentose, rough texture on the surface. The margins of the leaves are serrated or finely toothed, and when crushed or bruised, the foliage typically releases a strong, characteristic, and sometimes unpleasant aroma. The leaves are also described as pointy.

FLOWER COLOR

Pink, Yellow

FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS

The 'Teenie Genie' is a specific cultivar of the Lantana camara species, not a distinct flower type in itself; its flowers are the characteristic small, tubular type found in all lantanas, clustered into dense, showy, cymes. This evergreen shrub is highly valued for its compact, mounding growth habit, typically reaching a size of up to 30 inches (76 cm) in both height and width, and requiring little to no pruning to maintain its shape. A key characteristic is its continuous display of multi-colored flowers that open as soft yellow and gradually transition to a vibrant fuchsia-pink as they age. The 'Teenie Genie' is an excellent, low-maintenance choice for containers, borders, and mass plantings, prized for its heat and drought tolerance and its ability to attract pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds.

FRUIT/SEED

The fruit of the Lantana camara 'Monike' (Teenie Genie Lantana) is a small, round, fleshy drupe (a berry-like fruit) which changes color during development, ripening from green to a dark purple or bluish-black. These fruits grow in clusters, are smooth and glossy, and typically measure about 5-8 mm (around 0.2 inches) in diameter. Each mature drupe contains a single, hard, light brown seed inside a somewhat pasty flesh. While some sources indicate the ripe black fruits are edible to birds and in some human cultures, the unripe green fruits are unequivocally toxic, and many modern cultivars are bred to be sterile or produce very few viable seeds to prevent invasiveness.

SUN EXPOSURE

Full Sun, Partial Shade

POLLINATORS

The cultivar Lantana camara 'Monike', known as Teenie Genie Lantana, serves as a significant nectar source, highly effective at attracting various pollinators and wildlife. Specific visitors to its vibrant, multi-colored flower clusters include numerous species of butterflies (such as swallowtails, monarchs, and skippers), bees (including bumblebees and honeybees), and hummingbirds. Birds are also known to feed on the plant's small, blue-black berries that form after pollination, though the unripe green berries and leaves are toxic to livestock and humans. The plant's structure and nectar-rich flowers make it an excellent addition to pollinator and wildlife gardens.

PRUNING TIPS

The 'Teenie Genie' lantana naturally maintains a dense, compact, and symmetrical form that requires minimal to no pruning to shape. To encourage continuous blooming, spent flowers should be removed periodically to prevent the formation of berries. If any shaping is desired or dieback needs removal, it can be pruned in the early spring, cutting back by up to a third of its size to stimulate new growth