No signs of Lantana yet :-(

10 years ago

I'm one of those worry warts. I put out two lantana 2 years ago and they both came back previous years. Here in Newnan our weather is such a mess right now, we dropped down to 33 yesterday, in April???

I'm seeing signs of my brugmansia, cleome, little four o' clocks popping their head up through the ground. Why no lantana? I followed previous years advice of not cutting back until spring. I mulched them. I think I may be just rushing it. It has no even come close to really warming up here and staying warm.

Anyone have any experience with lantana? I'm new to them, and was attracted to them right away. They constantly bloom, love the heat too it seems. And I actually did get lucky and both of mine always attracted butterflies. But now, I just have some dead stalks and not seeing any green and don't really know where to look for any sign of life. I've dug very carefully around them looking, I'm not digging far down, but sure would like to see some life.

I'm probably just worried that because we had some really really cold days, snow, ice etc... And we never have that, so now I'm thinking they're dead :-(

Any ideas? How long should I give it before I just give up on these and go buy more? I mean our highs are only like 70-75 right now. Lows sometimes still in the high 40's low 50's. Is it just not warm enough for lantana yet?

Featured Answer

Tim

9 years ago

Actually those photos are from last year. Below are
the photos of my emerging Sonset Lantanas. You may be thinking, "What? That lantana is dead." Look closer. There is an itty bitty sprout peeking out from under the dead stump. There's actually four or five you can't see underneath of it that will find their way up to the surface by early May. The next photo is a close up of this same sprout.

Lantana Photos · More Info

Do you see it now? There is also another one on the other side of the branch that is barely peeking over the top. By the end of August this Sonset lantana will be approx. 7 ft wide by 3 ft tall! Below are some more picks of my other Sonset lantanas that are more noticeably emerging.

Lantana Photos · More Info

Ah, that's better.

Lantana Photos · More Info

Boy that one is really coming out of dormancy.

Lantana Photos · More Info

This one looks pretty good too.

Lantana Photos · More Info

This last photo is not a Sonset lantana. It is some sort of uncultivated lantana from Western Texas. A friend of mine has relatives in Texas. They gave her some sprouts which she brought back to Kansas, and then she gave one to me. It has re-sprouted very nicely too. It's about three years old, which is why its trunk is larger. I have to dead head this one, otherwise at the end of July it stops producing flowers and diverts all of its energy into producing seeds; so many seeds that the branches lay flat on the ground from the weight.

So... don't give up on your lantanas. I'm in zone 6b. If you have lantanas and they haven't emerged you may consider waiting until the first week of May before shovel pruning them. My friend has had her uncultivated lantanas for approximately 10 years in the same place here in the same town I live in. Her's have come back reliably every year; sometimes later sometimes earlier, but they have always come back.

Comments (9)

TexasRanger10
10 years ago
It depends on the kind. If its the hardy types, they are probably fine. If they are those weeny hybrid things, you might have to buy new ones. Some of mine are showing signs of new growth, some are not, the native Texas ones are and so is the big bush one with solid gold flowers. I got a couple more but can't even remember what they are now that are also showing signs but just as many that aren't.

Last year, the low growing yellow ground cover kind didn't come around until later than this & their still asleep, I think they call them New Gold but mine weren't labeled so I'm guessing. We got down to 27 ridiculous degrees night before last after a 87 degree day. Poor plants don't know which end is up but the new green growth was still fine the next day. 27 degrees--in April no less, humph! We got colder than usual this winter too so hang in there a while.
funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
10 years ago
Way too early here for Lantana to be up, it's one of the last to show and everything is late on top of that this year. Wait it out, there's still plenty of time for it to show.
TNflowerlover Zone 7a
10 years ago
If you can, wait it out. I pulled mine...and there were some possibly healthy roots. I later found out they do come back in my area. Whoops. On the other hand, I now have a yellow one, so all is well. :) Yours may still come back.
lovetogrowflowers
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for responding everyone. I had actually forgot I had posted here. I shouldn't have though, cause I'm still wating on lantana to show. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Tim
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

My Sonset lantanas came back this year. Yay! I plant mine on the south side of a structure. I mulch them with 2-3 inches of mulch, and I don't cut them back until I see new growth resprouting from the roots.
southerngardening24
9 years ago
samnsarah: Congrats on your lantanas coming back! I pulled mine today. Just got tired of waiting on it. Yours are beautiful!
User
9 years ago
Mine come out at different times, the time depends on the type. I wouldn't dig them up this early. Just cut it back to the ground & clean out debris so you don't have to look at a mess of stuff around dead stems if thats the problem. You can always buy new ones but the bigger more established ones seem to me like they will survive next winter better. Some of mine sprouted from the stems, others from below ground and some are still not showing signs but probably will, one year the yellow ground cover kinds that are commonly sold here waited until mid May. Sorry I can't name mine, they are from several sources and Farmers Market just sells them labeled as 'hardy lantana'.
southerngardening24
9 years ago
samnsarah: I love your sprout pics! How exciting! I knew the pic of the blooming ones was from last year, as I remember seeing it last year and admired them then too. :-)