Trailing lantana is a sprawling South American native that defies the typical shrub form, growing just 12-18 inches tall but spreading 36-60 inches wide on vine-like stems that cascade beautifully over banks and containers. In frost-free zones 8-10, it functions as a permanent low-growing woody shrub; elsewhere, gardeners treat it as an annual or move it indoors for winter. The plant produces continuous clusters of lilac to purplish-pink flowers from June through frost, each tiny bloom drawing butterflies and other pollinators to the garden. Its dark green, coarsely-toothed leaves have an unpleasant aroma when brushed, a distinctive quirk that makes it memorable.
Full Sun
Moderate
8-10
18in H x 60in W
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Low
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Trailing lantana spreads far wider than it grows tall, making it exceptional as a ground cover or cascading from containers and hanging baskets. The dense mat of foliage stays in near-constant bloom from early summer until frost arrives, with flowers that magnetize butterflies without any deadheading required. It thrives on neglect once established, asking only for full sun and well-drained soil, and handles lean, sandy conditions better than most ornamentals.
Trailing lantana serves primarily as an ornamental ground cover in frost-free climates, where its spreading stems carpet the ground with continuous color. In cooler zones, gardeners grow it as an annual in containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes, where the trailing stems create a fountain of blooms. Its low growth habit and sprawling form also suit banks and sloped sites where erosion control is desired.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Transplant outdoors after the last frost date in your region. In zones 8-10, trailing lantana can be planted in spring through early summer. Space plants 36-60 inches apart to accommodate their mature spread.
Pruning is optional and minimal for trailing lantana. In zones 8-10 where it overwinters outdoors, you can cut back the plant in early spring to encourage denser growth, though it will naturally form a compact mound 12-18 inches tall. If growing as an annual in containers, pinching back the stem tips early in the season encourages fuller, more cascading growth.
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“Lantana montevidensis originates from tropical South America, where it evolved as a low, spreading native shrub. The plant reached North American gardeners through the horticultural trade, valued specifically for its trailing habit, which distinguished it from the more upright Lantana camara. Its common name, weeping lantana, references the graceful drape of its vine-like stems.”