Deadheading Lantana Plants: Removing Spent Blooms On Lantana

spent lantana

(Image credit: 3005Mario)

last updated 5 April 2021

Lantanas are striking flowering plants that thrive in the heat of summer. Grown as perennials in frost-free climates and annuals everywhere else, lantanas ought to bloom as long as it’s warm out. That being said, you can take steps to encourage even more flowers. Keep reading to learn more about when and how to deadhead lantana flowers.

Should I Deadhead Lantana Plants?

We get a lot of questions about deadheading lantana plants. While deadheading is sometimes a good idea, it can also get pretty tedious. The basic idea behind deadheading is that once a flower has faded, it’s replaced by seeds. The plant needs energy to make these seeds and, unless you’re planning on saving them, that energy could be better devoted to making more flowers. By cutting off the flower before the seeds start to form, you’re basically giving the plant extra energy for new flowers. Lantanas are interesting because some varieties have been bred to be virtually seedless. So before you undertake a big deadheading project, take a look at your spent flowers. Is there a seedpod beginning to form? If there is, then your plant will really benefit from regular deadheading. If there isn’t, then you’re in luck! Removing spent blooms on lantana plants like this won’t do much of anything.

When to Deadhead a Lantana

Deadheading lantana plants during the blooming period can help make way for new flowers. But if all your blooms have faded and the fall frost is still far away, you can take measures beyond simply removing spent blooms on lantana plants. If all of the flowers have faded and there are no new buds growing, prune back the whole plant to ¾ of its height. Lantanas are vigorous and fast-growing. This should encourage new growth and a new set of flowers.

The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.