Trailing lantana is an evergreen ground cover that’s blanketed with lavender flowers from spring through winter’s first freeze. In mild winters, it will bloom nonstop all year. Here’s how to grow and care for this South American native.
Trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) is an attractive, low-maintenance ground cover that blooms profusely nearly all year long. (The picture above is in my Tucson garden in December.)
While the more familiar shrub-like lantana (Lantana camara) comes in a rainbow assortment of colors, the trailing species comes in any color you want… as long as it’s purple.😄
Trailing lantana is native to South America, not the desert Southwest, but it’s unfazed by our harshest conditions — full sun, poor soil, urban pollution, and drought.
The berries, which are toxic to mammals, are enjoyed by birds. Butterflies frequently visit the flowers.
Why I Like This Plant
- A profusion of lavender flowers
- Long bloom period
- More cold-tolerant than other lantanas
- Grows fast
- Low water use, low maintenance
- Tolerates challenging urban settings
Things to Watch Out For
Trailing lantana has rough, sandpaper-like foliage that is covered with hairs. Some people find lantana mildly irritating, while others develop a full-blown allergic reaction to it.
All parts of lantana are considered toxic to people, dogs, cats, and horses.
(If you’d prefer a ground cover that isn’t toxic, consider Mediterranean carpet. It has lavender flowers and evergreen gray-green leaves that are not irritating or toxic.)
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a trailing lantana to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep your plant healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Trailing lantana should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11. It tolerates desert heat and is cold-hardy down to 10℉. In mild winters, it will keep its leaves and bloom non-stop.
It’s not unusual for the leaves to turn dark with cold. Once the temperature drops below around 27℉, it may die back to some degree unless protected, but readily rebounds in spring.
Sun Exposure
Trailing lantana thrives in full sun, even the reflected sun off of sidewalks, driveways, or walls. While it can be grown in part shade, it flowers more with more sun.
Size and Growth Rate
Trailing lantana is a fast-growing ground cover that stays around 1 foot tall and spreads to 3 to 5 feet wide. When grown in ideal conditions, it can reach its full size in the first year.
Soil
Trailing lantana is not fussy about soil. It grows well in any desert soil, provided it’s well-draining.
Other Location Considerations
Trailing lantana’s sprawling habit makes it a good choice for planting on slopes or in front of boulders or larger landscape plants. Its stems are brittle, so it does not hold up to foot traffic.
Since it can be irritating to touch and toxic for pets, plant it where kids and dogs can’t easily access it.
There is no desert plant that is completely “critter proof” but deer, javelinas, and rabbits usually leave lantana alone. It’s thought that animals are repelled by its aromatic leaves.
Trailing Lantana:
The Essentials
| Common Names | Trailing lantana, purple lantana |
| Scientific Name | Lantana montevidensis |
| Origin | South America |
| Plant Type | Evergreen ground cover |
| USDA Zones | Zones 9 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 10℉ |
| Flower Color | Lavender |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 1’ tall x 3-5′ wide |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part, reflected sun |
| Water Needs | Low to moderate |
| Pests & Diseases | Whiteflies |
| Toxicity | All parts toxic, contact irritation |
| Wildlife | Attracts butterflies Critter resistant |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting trailing lantana or any other ground cover in the desert is to dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper.
Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
When to Plant
Since trailing lantana is somewhat frost-sensitive, it’s generally recommended that you plant it in the spring after the danger of frost has passed. However, I’ve planted it in both spring and fall with equal success.
How to Care for Trailing Lantana
Whether you’ve recently planted a trailing lantana or have an existing one in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water
The University of Arizona recommends watering newly planted, low water use ground covers on this schedule.
| Weeks 1 – 4 | Every 2 – 3 days |
| Weeks 5 & 6 | Every 6 – 7 days |
| Weeks 7 & 8 | Every 10 – 14 days |
Give your lantana about ½ gallon with each watering.
After that, you can water it on this schedule:
| Spring (March – May) | 10 – 14 days |
| Summer (May – Oct.) | 7 – 10 days |
| Fall (Oct. – Dec.) | 10 – 14 days |
| Winter (Dec – March) | 14 – 21 days |
As it grows, it will need more water with each watering, depending on its diameter. Use this chart as a guide.
| 1′ diameter | ½ gallon |
| 2′ diameter | 2 gallons |
| 3′ diameter | 3½ gallons |
| 4′ diameter | 5 gallons |
Should You Fertilize?
Since ground covers usually grow near other plants, they often have to compete for nutrients.
To ensure maximum growth and blooms, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum recommends fertilizing lantana twice per year when plants are actively growing, in early spring and early fall. I feed mine by topdressing with compost in the spring after I’ve pruned them.
How to Prune
During its growing season, you can lightly prune anytime to control the size or shape. I have a row that lines my driveway, and I trim encroaching branches any time of year with no ill effects.
You can pinch the ends in June, to encourage bushiness and flowering. If it looks scraggly, you can cut it back by half in late summer.
Trailing lantana benefits from pruning after the last frost date. You can hard prune it down to around 6 inches, or cut it back by half. After a mild winter, if it hasn’t suffered from cold damage, you can choose to skip this task.
Pests & Diseases
Trailing lantana can be susceptible to a few garden pests, but this is usually due to improper care:
- Whiteflies
- Powdery mildew (if grown in shade)
- Root rot (if overwatered)
- Chlorosis (if overwatered)
There’s no evidence that lantana gall mite (Aceria lantanae), which is a common problem on Lantana camara, affects trailing lantana.
Caution!
Don’t spray with insecticidal soap or dish detergent.
Either can damage or kill lantanas.
Trailing Lantana Cultivars
Previously, I mentioned that trailing lantana is always purple, but there is an exception. ‘Trailing White’ (Lantana montevidensis ‘Alba’) is a cultivar that has fresh white flowers.
And if you can’t decide between white and lavender, ‘Lavender Swirl‘ uniquely has both white and lavender flowers on one plant!
If you can’t find ‘Lavender Swirl’, you can achieve the same effect by planting a white and a purple trailing lantana in the same hole and letting them entwine.
If you prefer a deep shade of purple, look for ‘Purple Potion.’ This cultivar is a little shorter and wider than the species, less than 1 foot tall and reaching 6 feet across.
Plant Lover Facts
Trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) is native to Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. It’s named after Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, where the plant was first “discovered” and named by botanists.
It has naturalized around the world and can be found growing in Spain, Italy, Mexico, and parts of the US — the southeast plus Texas and California. In some places, it’s considered invasive including Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Florida, and Hawaii.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for over 16 years.
