Texas Lantana

Year-round

Texas Lantana, also listed as Lantana urticoides, is native to Texas, including the Dallas area. This is a different plant from Lantana camara, an introduced lantana sold at some nurseries that can spread aggressively in warm climates, so look for the straight native species when buying. It grows into a rounded, mounding shrub up to about 6 feet tall in full sun and dry, well-drained soil, with clusters of small red, orange, and yellow flowers from spring into fall. It's a strong nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds, and deer mostly leave it alone. The plant and its berries are on the ASPCA toxic plant list for dogs, cats, and horses, and the leaves can irritate bare skin when handled.

• Full sun and dry, well-drained soil, even poor soil is fine, it struggles in wet or heavy clay spots
• This is the Texas native species, different from the introduced Lantana camara sold at some nurseries, check the tag or ask for Lantana horrida or urticoides
• The plant and its berries are on the ASPCA toxic plant list for dogs, cats, and horses, keep grazing pets away from it
• A strong nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds through a long spring to fall bloom season

Fall

Texas Lantana keeps blooming right up until the first freeze, which usually lands in mid to late November in the Dallas area. Stop fertilizing by late summer so the plant isn't pushing tender new growth into the cold. Birds eat the ripening berries and spread the seed, but the berries are also part of what makes this plant a concern for pets, so if dogs or cats spend time in the yard, deadheading spent flower clusters through fall cuts down on how much fruit forms.

• Blooms continue until the first freeze, usually mid to late November in Dallas
• Stop fertilizing by late summer so new growth has time to harden off before frost
• Birds eat the berries and spread seed, deadhead through fall if pets share the yard
• No fall pruning needed beyond deadheading, save any real cutback for winter or after

Winter

In a typical Dallas winter, Texas Lantana freezes back to the ground or close to it once temperatures drop into the 20s, and that's normal for this plant, not a sign it needs to be replaced. Leave the bare stems in place over winter, they help protect the crown, and wait until the worst freeze risk has passed, usually mid to late February in Dallas, before cutting the dead growth back to a few inches. Any berries left on the plant over winter are still part of what's on the ASPCA toxic plant list for dogs, cats, and horses, so keep grazing pets away until they're gone.

• Freezing back to the ground in a Dallas winter is normal for this plant, it regrows from the roots in spring
• Leave dead stems in place through winter, cut back to a few inches once hard freeze risk has passed, usually mid to late February
• Deer mostly leave it alone even in winter when other food is scarce
• Any berries still on the plant over winter remain on the ASPCA toxic plant list for dogs, cats, and horses

Spring

Texas Lantana is one of the last plants in a Dallas yard to show new growth in spring, often waiting until well after the last frost, usually mid March in Dallas, to leaf out from what looks like bare, gray wood. Resist cutting it back or pulling it out early. Scratch a stem with a fingernail to check for green underneath before deciding it's dead. Once new growth is clearly underway, cut back any stems that stayed brown and bare to make room for the fresh growth.

• Wait for new green growth low on the stems before pruning, this plant often looks dead well past when other shrubs have leafed out
• Scratch a stem with a fingernail, green underneath means the wood is alive
• Once new growth is clear, cut back any stems that stayed bare and gray
• Full sun is what pushes the strongest spring growth, shade slows it down further

If neighbors or an HOA landscape check ask about it, a bare, gray shrub in April is normal for Texas Lantana in Dallas, not a dead plant that needs replacing.

Summer

Dallas summers, often over 95 degrees for weeks at a stretch, are when Texas Lantana looks its best. It keeps blooming through the heat and needs very little supplemental water once it's established, a deep soak only during long dry spells. Snipping off spent flower clusters and pinching new stem tips encourages more blooms and keeps the shrub from getting leggy. The crinkly leaves have a sharp smell and can irritate bare skin, so wear gloves when pruning or deadheading.

• Established plants need little to no extra water even in Dallas's hottest summer stretches, water deeply only during long dry spells
• Deadhead spent flower clusters and pinch new tips to keep blooms coming through summer
• Full sun and heat are what this plant wants, it blooms harder as the temperature climbs
• Wear gloves when pruning or deadheading, the leaves can irritate bare skin