Native Plants

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Thursday - December 18, 2008

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Lantanas with brown leaves
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have several lantana plants here in Austin, TX. They did extremely well all summer long up until our first freeze. It looks like they have all died. Are they just dormant or are they dead? Their leaves are brown and the branches break easily.

ANSWER:

If the temperature at your house has already dropped below freezing this fall—and many areas in Austin have—this is why your lantanas' leaves have turned brown and the stems have become brittle—your lantanas aren't dead, they're only "sleeping". All of our native Texas lantanas (Lantana urticoides (West Indian shrubverbena), Lantana canescens (hammock shrubverbena), Lantana achyranthifolia (brushland shrubverbena) and Lantana velutina (velvet shrubverbena) are perennials—they go dormant during the winter and regrow in the spring. Prune them back hard (6 to 12 inches from the ground) in late winter before they begin their new growth

You can read more about care of lantanas in the answer to a previous question.

Lantana urticoides

Lantana canescens

Lantana achyranthifolia