My lantana barely bloomed last summer. Now that it's winter (sort of) I'm tempted to pull it out. It does have a few leaves but not sure if they're actually on the lantana. Of course I could ease it out and see what the roots look like, and if good, pop the plant back in. I also know I could / should cut back the woody stems. Thoughts?






Pictures taken January 5.

I wouldn't be as concerned if it had bloomed a lot last year. Maybe it was the weather or maybe it was abuse or maybe both.

I'd cut it back but not move it. Here in zone 7 it often returns so expect the best.

I did not cut off mine, and it finally started coming back in Dec when our rains returned. It really needs strong light when conditions still generally cold. I just wanted it to recover, then will wait for Spring to decide how to prune it to a better shape. The city trees blocking the light are now asleep. so it is enjoying as much direct sun it can get. Thankfully we are still getting some rains, or foggy mornings.

Thanks to both of you.

I probably should have added that at one time my lantana did have many blooms that lasted from summer into fall. But we've had stranger than usual weather and maybe that's a factor. Case in point is that last Friday there were heavy thunderstorms and even 4 tornadoes in this general area. And yet today was close to 80F. This is the middle of January, folks! Maybe my plants are as confused by the weather as I am.

Do not disturb the roots or cut it back till springtime unless you want it to die. The Lantana has hollow stems and if/when they fill with rainwater, the roots will rot. Spring time is the time to trim the dead canes. Yes, I believe your green growth is Lantana but it will probably be nipped back before winter ends. If you aren't sure if it is Lantana, you can rub a leaf and will know by the telltale fragrance.

I always cut one of mine back as it is a monster. One is moderately behaved and I prune only to control the growth over the walkway. The third one is a trailing Lantana which I leave intact until it tries to take over.

I suspect the blooms or lack of was due to weather. Good light is necessary but I have never fertilized my Lantana.

I kinda figured the leaves are lantana. I took more pictures but didn't think y'all really wanted to see that many. Next time I row out to the perennial bed I'll try the 'rub the leaves' trick.

Have to admit that I'm bad about fertilizing anything. Was going to do it a few days ago but got interrupted while I was trying to convert the measurements. For liquids, I don't understand why the instructions change the type of unit. I'm good with gallons, quarts, pints, cups, and ounces. It's the dang ML that start to mess me up. I can get the computer to do it for me but then I have to find a teaspoon or whatever for mixing. Maybe tomorrow, depending on the weather. I think I have some liquid seaweed or maybe it's fish emulsion. Got a lot of partially used stuff. Or maybe it's not a good time since the weather has been playing with us. Haven't looked at the rain gauge but I see where I have six 5 gallon buckets full of rainwater. Don't exactly know what to do with that much.

So I went out back and took a few more pictures. The leaves are definitely attached to the branches. I picked a few but I'm not sure about the telltale fragrance. I just think of the leaves as having a sort of rough feel to them. These leaves feel soft but could be because they're 'babies'.

Here's the picture I took this afternoon.

Yes, that is new Lantana growth. I'll have to go peek at mine.

I had to yank out one of my lantana last year. I didn't fertilize, but I did throw new dirt into the bed and replanted. It was AFTER it was growing pretty good and no frosts happened to zap it. It just needed a soil change. My lantana is coming out now, and I have been snapping and trimming dead ends as it usually just comes back from the roots. However, that gold lantana is coming back along the branches too. Good luck with yours.

I haven't looked at the perennial bed in what seems like weeks. It's either the rain or the mud that prevents me from doing much other than pushing acorns around. Yesterday was nice and was predicted to be nice all week. So I went out and refilled the bird feeders. Hope the birds will return. I hear them in the late afternoon but can't spot them. I think they're across the street in some type of evergreen tree. I have an app on my phone from Audubon to try to ID the songs. Yesterday I was positive I was hearing finches but I know there's a cardinal around. It's such a cacophony of sounds and I'm really bad at differentiating. Altho — I do know a crow when I hear one. And there's been some around in the early morning. Wonder if they scare the little birds away.

Oh, the perennial bed. Got sidetracked for a moment. So when I was filling the various feeders I did notice that I have a lot of shrubs and 'shrub wanna be' that need to be cut back. The weeds are filling in nicely. Lot of dandelions blooming. Maybe I'll get round to it this weekend.

I saw a Youtube Video about growing standards. One of the most popular plants to use is lantana. It looked AWESOME as a tree! I am training a Kong coleus as a standard jut for fun.

After I bought the baby lantana my other one started to show signs of life. No telling why it barely limped along last summer. Hope they're both not drowned from all the rain we've been getting. They really prefer sun.

So, how are your Lantanas doing now, tx_flower_child? I saw one with pink and yellow flowers (probably the basic Lantana?) at Lowes on clearance a couple of weeks ago. The price was right, and I am doing all I can to add colour and fragrance to my garden to attract pollinators and birds, so I bought it. I put it in a big pot and placed the pot at the rear of my house where it gets pretty good afternoon sun. I have no idea if it will die if kept in a pot. I hope not! I do not have any ground space to plant it. I am getting to the point where I may have to start asking neighbours, "would you like me to plant a nice plant in your yard for you??? Pretty soon, I think my moniker will become "the crazy plant lady."