Great summer color, weak on cold, toxic to pets. What to know before you plant lantana.
Get a Free Planting PlanLantana handles High Desert heat but not our cold. Trailing lantana is rated to only 20F and common lantana’s top growth is hardy only in zones 10 to 11, so in Victorville’s zone 8b it freezes back most winters and a hard freeze can kill it. It is also toxic to dogs, cats and horses, so treat it as a summer color plant, not a permanent groundcover.
Top photo: Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shrub and groundcover · Lantana camara and Lantana montevidensis · Also called Common Lantana, Lantana Plant, Shrub Verbena, Trailing Lantana, Purple Trailing Lantana, Yellow Sage, Red Sage · Common lantana is native to tropical America; trailing lantana is native to South America
| Lantana at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Type and size at maturity | Common lantana: upright shrub 3 to 6 ft (Missouri Botanical Garden). Trailing lantana: low groundcover about 2 ft tall and 3 to 5 ft wide (MSWN) [2] |
| Growth rate | Fast [1] |
| Water once established | Moderate for both common and trailing lantana (WUCOLS IV, Region 5, High and Intermediate Desert) [3] |
| Sun | Full sun and reflected heat [1] |
| Cold hardiness | Trailing lantana: 20F, USDA zone 9 (MSWN). Common lantana: top growth hardy only in zones 10 to 11, roots to zone 9 (Missouri Botanical Garden). Hybrid ‘New Gold’ is root hardy to 10F (MSWN) and ‘Dallas Red’ is rated 0F (MSWN) [1] |
| Heat | Tolerates full sun, reflected heat, smog, poor soil and drought [1] |
| Soil | Tolerates poor soils; needs good drainage [2] |
| Bloom | Trailing: lavender, spring through fall (MSWN). Common: clusters of white, yellow, orange, red and purple from July to frost (Missouri Botanical Garden) [1] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Evergreen only where winters stay mild. In the High Desert, expect frost to kill the tops most winters (trailing lantana is rated to 20F) [1] |
| Pets | Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, Lantana camara). Signs include vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing and weakness. Trailing lantana berries are poisonous to humans (MSWN) [4] |
| Wildlife | Flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators [2] |
| Rabbits and deer | ‘Dallas Red’ is listed as deer resistant. No rabbit rating found [7] |
| Where it fits | Raised planters and slopes for trailing lantana [1] |
Two different plants are sold as lantana, and most nurseries also carry hybrids of the two.
Both take full sun, reflected heat and poor soil. WUCOLS IV rates both as moderate water in Region 5, the High and Intermediate Desert. That is more water than most rockscape plants on a drip system need.
The biggest difference for a High Desert yard is cold hardiness, and some of the named hybrids are much tougher than either parent. That is covered below.
Here it is plainly. Mountain States Wholesale Nursery rates trailing lantana to 20F, USDA zone 9. Missouri Botanical Garden rates common lantana’s top growth hardy only in zones 10 to 11, with roots to zone 9. The Victor Valley is zone 8b. Our average coldest night falls between 15F and 20F and record lows are near 0F (see our frost dates and growing zones guide).
That means:
If you want lantana to come back year after year, buy a cold-tougher hybrid. MSWN rates ‘New Gold’ root hardy to 10F, from Texas A&M field trials, and rates ‘Dallas Red’ to 0F, with fast recovery in spring after a hard prune. Even those lose their top growth at the first hard frost and regrow in spring.
Summer is where lantana shines. MSWN says trailing lantana tolerates full sun, reflected heat, smog, poor soil and drought, so July heat near a driveway or wall will not bother it.
The ASPCA lists lantana (Lantana camara) as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing and weakness, and the ASPCA notes that liver failure is more common in livestock (ASPCA). The ASPCA entry covers common lantana; trailing lantana is not listed separately, so treat it with the same caution. MSWN adds that trailing lantana’s small bluish berries are poisonous to humans.
If you have a dog that chews plants, or horses on the property, pick something else. Rosemary is on the ASPCA’s non-toxic list and handles the same sunny, dry spots.
On invasiveness: the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) gives Lantana camara a Watch rating. Cal-IPC says it is found in the central and south coast ranges and favors grasslands, woodlands and riparian areas, and that birds can spread its seed. Missouri Botanical Garden notes it has naturalized in parts of southern California. Our winters knock it back, but a seedless hybrid like ‘New Gold’, which MSWN describes as virtually seed free, avoids the issue.
Plant lantana in spring, after the danger of frost has passed. The median last freeze in Victorville is around March 18, but one year in ten it lands after April 12, so late April or May is the safer window for a frost-tender plant. Fall planting does not make sense for lantana here; it will not have time to root in before the first freeze.
Lantana tolerates poor soils, but it needs drainage. On lots with caliche, break through the hardpan in each hole. Our High Desert soils guide covers how.
WUCOLS IV rates lantana moderate water in Region 5. On drip:
Put lantana on a valve with other moderate-water plants, not with cactus. See our High Desert irrigation guide. MSWN also notes that lantana is susceptible to whiteflies; check leaf undersides in summer.
MSWN recommends trailing lantana for raised planters and slopes. In the High Desert, it works best where a few months of bare stems in winter will not bother you.
For a true year-round groundcover, look at dwarf coyote brush, which the county’s Guide to High Desert Landscaping calls the most dependable groundcover, or prostrate rosemary. See our xeriscaping guide for more.
Trim off frost-damaged growth in early spring (MSWN). Plant new lantana after the last frost, usually late April or May to be safe.
Deep soak about once a week. Watch for whiteflies on the undersides of leaves.
Flowers run until frost. Ease off water as nights cool, and do not plant new lantana this late.
Expect the tops to freeze back. Leave the dead stems until spring, then prune hard; hybrids like ‘Dallas Red’ recover quickly after a hard prune (MSWN).
Somewhat. MSWN says trailing lantana tolerates drought, but WUCOLS IV rates both common and trailing lantana moderate water in the High Desert. Plan on a deep soak about once a week in summer.
Trailing lantana is rated to 20F and common lantana’s top growth is hardy only in zones 10 to 11, so both freeze back most High Desert winters. Hybrids are tougher: MSWN rates ‘New Gold’ root hardy to 10F and ‘Dallas Red’ to 0F.
No. The ASPCA lists lantana as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing and weakness.
Cal-IPC gives Lantana camara a Watch rating and reports it in the central and south coast ranges. A seedless hybrid such as ‘New Gold’ avoids the seed spread.
In spring, after the last frost. The median last freeze in Victorville is around March 18, but it can land after April 12, so late April or May is safer.
We checked every number on this page against the public sources below. If a rule or date changes, the agency page is the final word.
Monarch designs and installs rockscape, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plantings across the High Desert. We will check sun, wind and soil on your lot and tell you where a plant will do well and where it will struggle.
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