The Care of Trailing Lantana in Frost

Trailing lantana is a flowering plant that is commonly used as ground cover or erosion control. It can spread up to 4 feet wide, but only reaches around 12 inches tall. The plant is not winter hardy, and frosts will usually kill it back to the ground. It is grown as an annual in most parts of the country, but if you want to try to grow it as a perennial, you can protect it from frost by cutting it back before the temperature change. The plant will recover in the spring and re-bloom.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Mulch

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Cut the trailing lantana back to the ground level with pruning shears in the late fall, just before the frost and after the plant has dropped its leaves.

   • 2

     Cover the root zone of the trailing lantana with 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch. This layer protects the roots from heaving out of the ground during the frost-melt cycle.

   • 3

     Rake the mulch back in the spring, after the last frost. If you left any of the plant material exposed and it has experienced frost damage, cut it off in the spring.