Will Lantana Flowers Come Back After Winter?

Lantana as a Perennial

• In areas where low winter temperatures rarely drop below 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, lantana will grow outdoors year-round and will bloom periodically through the season. When planting lantana, be aware it can spread rapidly in frost-free climates and is considered invasive in some areas. In frost-free climates, you can prune lantana any time of year to control overall shape and size of the shrub. In areas that get minor frost, you can rejuvenate the plants by pruning out any frost-damaged growth in early to midspring.

Lantana as an Annual

• In regions below USDA zone 8, lantana will die back in fall or winter with the first killing frost and will not come back the following spring. The best way to grow lantana in cold regions is to treat it like an annual, replanting each spring after the last frost date. When grown as an annual, lantana starts blooming in midsummer and continues to bloom until the first frost. In fall or spring, remove the dead plant material to tidy the garden.

Overwintering Lantana

• In forst-prone areas, you can dig up and overwinter lantana in containers rather than buying new plants each spring. Dig up the plants in fall before the first frost and pot them up in containers. Choose containers with drainage holes in the bottom to prevent water from pooling around the roots. Lantana overwinters well at 40 F in an area that gets bright, filtered light.

Growing Conditions

• When planting lantana, select a site with good drainage that gets full sun. Lantana grows well in poor, dry rocky soil and is a smart choice for rock gardens and rockeries but it does not grow well in wet, waterlogged soil. While lantana attracts butterflies and other pollinators, the berries and leaves are toxic and can cause skin irritation when touched or ingested. Wear gloves when handling the plant material and keep children and pets away.

Lantana in the Landscape

• Lantana grows fast, so even when growing it as an annual, you will get mature, flowering plants each year. It is well suited as a bedding plant in sunny garden beds and butterfly gardens or you can use lantana to plant in hot spots with poor, rocky soil. Lantana is a woody shrub that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide in a single growing season. In frost-free climates, lantana can grow up to 6 feet tall. The tiny flowers form tightly clustered 2-inch-diameter flower heads. Lantana flowers bloom in white, red, orange, purple or in multicolored flower heads, depending on the variety.