Colorful lantana (Lantana spp.) Brings bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden all summer long. Though grown as an annual in a lot of the country, at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 to 11 the plant is an evergreen perennial that develops woody, shrub-like stems. Pruning at the right time makes it possible to get the most out of the lantana shrub, without providing too much of a great thing to the surroundings.
Early Spring
Cut the woody stems of the lantana to 6 to 12 inches above the ground to give it a new start once the shrub is overgrown or did not bloom well the season before. If you don’t wish to eliminate the entire height of the lantana — the shrubs grow from 12 inches to 6 feet tall depending upon cultivar — trim one third of the tallest, oldest stems each year.
Mid-Spring and Summer
You may pinch back the growing tips on lantana since it grows to encourage fuller growth with more flowering points. Pinching hints several times a summer that makes for a more slender plant, but it can also delay flowering by several weeks.
Fall
Deadhead the fading blossoms when you did not plant a sterile variety before the black berries have a chance to form. The black, berrylike seeds are often carried by birds to reseed the plant. It’s considered invasive in several countries in the southeastern United States. Reducing back the plants maintains berries from forming at all — they’re also toxic to animals and humans. Steer clear of both problems by planting a sterile cultivar. Sterile lantanas comprise orange, gold and coral “Miss Huff;” yellow “New Gold;” and white “Patriot Marc Cathey.”
Lantana Hedge
Shear the plant back to one-half the amount of its new development after it flowers in mid-spring or early summer, if you are training the plant for a hedge. When you shear the plant any sooner, you get rid of the blossoms. Hedges must always be cut heavier on the surface than on the underside so that lower regions of the plant get sunlight. If it doesn’t get sunlight, then the lower levels of the hedge can lose leaves and flowers.