Lantana is a very talked-about panorama plant that’s utilized in many alternative methods. It’s labeled as a flowering perennial and is available in shrub type and floor cowl/trailing. It flowers from spring by way of fall (who doesn’t love that?!) and is offered in numerous colours and combos. Right here, you’ll find out about pruning lantana, together with find out how to do it, and good issues to know.
I’ll present you the way I prune my Lantana camara “Dallas Pink,” a shrub that grows to round 4’x 5′, and my Lantana “New Gold,” a floor cowl at 1-1/2′ x 4′ that’s a hybrid of Lantana montevidensis x L. camara. Each are prolific bloomers that appeal to a large number of hummingbirds and butterflies.
Many lantana varieties can be found in the marketplace, and these pruning methods apply to all of them.
Be aware: This was revealed on 3/20/2019. It was up to date on 8/31/2024.
A Information To Pruning Lantana
They’re grown as perennial crops in California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida due to the lengthy flowering season.
Common lantanas embrace trailing purple, trailing white, miss huff, irene, confetti, new gold, radiation, dallas purple, and teenie genie.
It’s native to tropical America and is hardy in USDA zones 8-11. As soon as the climate warms up, lantana grows very quick and may deal with the summer time warmth in Tucson, the place I now dwell.
Though it’s a perennial in lots of areas, it’s offered as an annual plant in colder areas. I used to be visiting my pal in Connecticut one summer time. She had it rising as an annual in a pot on her again deck. The hummingbirds have been very completely satisfied!
Why do you have to prune lantana?
Pruning promotes wholesome crops and retains them in fine condition. Lantana has a protracted rising season and blooms nonstop for about eight months. It must be in the reduction of often to forestall it from changing into leggy and ratty. It appreciates a relaxation after that lengthy blooming interval and earlier than the brand new progress seems.
Lantana blooms on that new progress, so that you wish to encourage as a lot of it as doable. As new progress seems, think about pinching again the information of the stems to encourage bushier, fuller progress, which is able to end in a extra engaging type.
When do you have to prune Lantana?
In my guide, one of the best time to provide lantana its huge prune is late winter or early spring. Once I lived in Santa Barbara on the coast of California, it was in February. Tucson has colder winters, so I do it from early to mid-March. You wish to wait till the hazard of frost has handed and the night temps are constantly above 38-40F.
In the summertime months, I prune to form if wanted.
Some landscapers round right here prune lantana exhausting (again to 6-12″) in November. I favor to provide mine a lightweight trim in November and do the most important prune in March.
Learn how to Prune Lantanas
First, be certain that your pruning shears are clear and sharp. In the event you’re like me, you’ve gotten quite a lot of spring pruning to do! This may allow you to make clear cuts straight throughout.
Take away the bottom branches touching the bottom. All that new progress on high ultimately smothers them.
Take out branches which might be crossing over, weak, awkward, and any useless wooden. This thins the plant out to get an concept of the way it will look.
I minimize out a number of branches with my Dallas Pink, which chilly temps had hit.
As soon as the plant has been opened up a bit, prune the remaining branches again by 1/2. I at all times take out a number of extra branches in the direction of the tip, as my eye finds pleasing.
In the course of the lantana pruning course of, you should definitely step again a few instances and observe the plant’s look.
I take one other snip or two in a number of weeks if wanted.
I spent quarter-hour every pruning my trailing lantana (new gold) and my shrub lantana (dallas purple).
Submit Pruning Care
Not a lot particular care is required, particularly in case your plant is established.
Water lantana after pruning, if wanted, to assist the plant get better from the stress. You’ll wish to water it often, particularly throughout sizzling, dry durations. As soon as established, Lantanas are pretty drought-tolerant however nonetheless want constant moisture to thrive.
In case your plant wants a layer of compost, now’s a good time to use it.
Pruning Lantana Video Information
Three Warnings Relating to Lantana
1) Lantana has considerably pungent foliage. Some discover the scent offensive, however I don’t. Let’s say it doesn’t hassle me, however I wouldn’t need fragrance produced from it! The odor is launched solely when the leaves are dealt with, so that you don’t need to fear a couple of pungent plant in your backyard.
2) The leaves have a lightweight sandpaper really feel and are poisonous. To some folks, they trigger pores and skin irritation. It’s a minor dermatitis response, not a extreme rash like poison oak or poison ivy. It has by no means aggravated me, however carrying gloves when pruning out of doors crops is a good suggestion.
3) Many cultivars and varieties produce inexperienced berries that flip darkish blue/black. Regardless of their attractiveness, please don’t eat them. The berries are poisonous. Although lantana is poisonous, it’s planted throughout public areas. Don’t let this cease you from contemplating planting it; different widespread panorama crops are toxic, too. There appear to be various opinions on this topic as to how poisonous lantana is, so do your individual analysis if this considerations you.
Good to Know About Pruning Lantana
Pruning lantana isn’t inventive or exact. Don’t be afraid to mess up should you’re pruning it for the primary time. It’s forgiving and a vigorous grower. Until you’ve performed a scalp job, it’ll come again quick as soon as the climate warms and the times get longer.
Lantana blooms on new progress, so that you wish to minimize away among the earlier season’s progress to make method for the brand new.
You determine how a lot you are taking off. I stick inside the vary of taking it again by about one-third of its peak and width. The scalping technique isn’t for me.
Lantana is semi or totally deciduous the place the winters are cooler, like right here in Tucson. Don’t be alarmed in case your plant loses its leaves. The brand new progress that seems can be ample and far prettier than the previous progress.
Talking of the earlier season’s foliage progress, some will fall off by spring, and a few will nonetheless be on the plant. It’ll ultimately fall off as the brand new progress totally emerges.
In the event you take away the previous foliage, watch out to not rip off the brand new progress.
As a result of the plant grows so densely, useless progress can construct up on the base. It’s good to take away it.
In the event you dwell in a moist local weather and your lantana is rising in partial shade, it’s a good suggestion to skinny it out to forestall powdery mildew.
Pruning previous, overgrown crops could be difficult as a result of they turn into so woody. Begin by taking them again step by step and see how the plant responds.
It’s a good suggestion to skinny this plant out as a result of the brand new progress comes on vigorously.
To recap the pruning course of in the course of the rising season, I do the heaviest pruning within the late winter/early spring. I’ll do one or two a lot lighter ones to form in the course of the summer time. Someday in early November, I prune evenly to form it going into the cooler months.
Lantana is simple to develop and gives a giant pop of shade. Care suggestions (in a nutshell) to maintain it trying good: full solar, well-draining soil, and common pruning.
Are you on the lookout for recommendation on pruning different well-liked panorama crops? These guides on pruning Bougainvillea, Star Jasmine, Salvia, Tropical Hibiscus, and Geraniums can be useful.
Lantana may be very forgiving in the case of pruning, which is a testomony to how powerful and resilient it truly is. Pruning encourages wholesome lantana crops. In the event you like continuous blooming for months, give this plant a go. The hummingbirds and butterflies love lantana flowers and can be most grateful!
Completely satisfied gardening,
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Nell, the founding father of Pleasure Us backyard, was born right into a gardening household and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After dwelling in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert dwelling. She studied horticulture & backyard design, working within the subject all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & creator. She’s been gardening for a really very long time & desires to share what she’s realized with you.