Groundcover
Trailing Lantana
Lantana montevidensis · Verbenaceae
Also called: Purple Trailing Lantana, Weeping Lantana, Creeping Lantana
Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis) is a low-water groundcover well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It grows to 12-18 in H x 4-6 ft W, with a moderate to fast growth rate.
Trailing Lantana at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun for best flowering and density; tolerates reflected heat. Flowers poorly and grows sparse in shade.
- Mature size
- 12-18 in H x 4-6 ft W
- Growth rate
- Moderate to Fast
- Bloom
- Lavender to purple with a small yellow throat; white-flowered forms exist., Spring through fall, nearly year-round in mild winters; heaviest in warm season.
- Cold hardiness
- Frost-sensitive; foliage damaged below ~28-32°F and tops often killed by hard frost, but roots are hardy to roughly the low 20s°F (USDA zones 9-11). Reliably recovers from roots in Tucson.
- Soil
- Adaptable to most well-drained soils including poor, rocky, and alkaline native desert soils. Tolerates some salinity; needs decent drainage.
- Native range
- South America (Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil region near Montevideo); widely used ornamental in the Southwest, not native to the Sonoran Desert.
- Best used as
- Groundcover, Slope and bank stabilization, Spilling over walls and containers, Mass color plantings, Median and parking-lot landscapes
- Wildlife
- Excellent nectar source attracting butterflies and bees; flowers also draw hummingbirds.
- Toxicity
- Foliage and especially the green unripe berries are toxic to humans, dogs, cats, and livestock if ingested; can cause GI upset and more serious effects. Sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive people.
How to grow Trailing Lantana in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Drought-tolerant once established but looks and blooms best with regular deep irrigation in summer (about weekly to every 10-14 days). Reduce sharply in winter.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Light feeder. A spring application of balanced or low-nitrogen fertilizer encourages bloom; excess nitrogen produces foliage at the expense of flowers.
Pruning & care
Shear or cut back hard in late winter/early spring to remove frost-killed growth and rejuvenate. Light shearing during the growing season tidies the spread and promotes rebloom.
Notes
Low, spreading evergreen-to-perennial groundcover prized for long bloom season and heat tolerance. Unlike shrubby Lantana camara, this species stays low and trailing, making it a workhorse groundcover for Tucson. Less berry production than camara types. Tough, fast-establishing, and very tolerant of reflected heat.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; AMWUA 'Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert'; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Tucson Botanical Gardens