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Tuesday - February 12, 2013

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Shrubs
Title: Winter pruning of lantana from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I live in north Austin. Due to our mild winter, my lantana has not died off this season as it usually does after a freeze - and so I have not cut it back yet this year which I typically do about right now. As a matter of fact, it is blooming nicely due to the January rains - and the butterflies are loving it. Is it ok not to cut it back this year? Will it get too scraggly?

ANSWER:

From a previous Smarty Plants answer:

The lantana native to Texas is Lantana urticoides (Texas lantana). Some of the non-natives and hybrids that are more tropical in nature might not be so forgiving of cold weather, but we think pruning suggestions should be about the same for both.

From The Georgia Gardener, here is an article on pruning lantana. Although Austin is marginal, you should probably not be too worried about your plants freezing back and dying; in fact, they should be semi-evergreen with long periods of bloom. However, we always liked to prune them down to about 6 inches from the ground when they got scraggly in mid-winter. If they are not scraggly, and the butterflies are enjoying them, we would say let them be. Even during the summer, you may find it advisable to prune them back lightly if they try to take over your garden and get too big.

From the Image Gallery

Texas lantana
Lantana urticoides