Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Yellow Trailing Lantana
Yellow Trailing Lantana is a low, spreading groundcover covered in clusters of yellow flowers from spring into fall. It stays low to the ground and spreads wide, so a few plants cover a bed, a bank or the top of a wall. It handles full sun and reflected heat, and butterflies and bees visit the flowers. The leaves have a strong scent, and rabbits tend to leave it alone.
Best for: covering sunny beds, holding banks and slopes, trailing over wall tops and planters, and hot spots near walls and driveways.
It stays low and spreads wide, so a group of plants knits together into one cover. Plant about 4 to 6 feet apart center to center. It grows fast once the weather warms.
Trailing lantana is planted on banks and slopes for erosion control. The stems also spill over low walls, raised beds and the rims of large pots.
It handles full sun and the reflected heat off walls, driveways and sidewalks. It flowers best in full sun. Once rooted, about one deep watering a week in summer keeps it blooming.
Frost damages the leaves around 25°F, and a hard freeze can burn it back until spring. All parts are toxic to pets if eaten. Whiteflies can build up in late summer.
- Faster coverAbout 4 ft apart
- Standard groundcoverAbout 4 to 6 ft apart
- Loose or single plantsAbout 6 ft apart
Water a new plant often for the first few weeks, then slowly stretch the time between waterings. Once rooted, water about once a week in summer. It needs much less water in the cooler months.
A hard freeze can burn it back. Leave the brown growth in place until frost danger passes, usually early March. Then cut it back to about 6 inches, or close to the ground, and it regrows from the base.
Whiteflies are the main pest on lantana, and they often build up in late summer. Check under the leaves and control them if the numbers keep climbing.
The leaves can irritate skin, so wear gloves and long sleeves when you prune. All parts are toxic if eaten, including the berries.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Yellow Trailing Lantana get?
Trailing lantana stays low, about 1 to 3 feet tall, and spreads about 4 to 8 feet wide. It grows fast, so give each plant room to spread.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant it about 4 to 6 feet apart center to center. Go about 4 feet for faster cover, or about 6 feet for a looser planting. The Spacing tab can count plants for your bed.
Which size should I buy?
The 1 gallon is the usual choice for covering a bed or bank, since it fills in fast. The 5 gallon gives a fuller start for a planter, wall top or front bed. See the size guide for both.
Can it take full sun and reflected heat?
Yes. It handles full sun and the reflected heat off walls, driveways and sidewalks. Give it full sun for the most flowers.
How often should I water it?
Water often for the first few weeks, then taper off as it roots in. Once rooted, water about once a week in summer to keep it full and blooming. Water less often in the cooler months.
When does it bloom?
Yellow flower clusters show up from spring into fall. In a mild winter with no frost, it can keep blooming all year.
What happens in a freeze, and when do I cut it back?
Frost damages the leaves around 25°F, and it can look ragged through a cold winter. The roots hold to about 20°F, and it regrows. Leave the damage until frost danger has passed, usually early March, then cut it back to about 6 inches.
Is Yellow Trailing Lantana safe for dogs and cats?
No. Lantana is listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and the berries are poisonous. Eating it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and weakness. The leaves can also irritate skin, so wear gloves when you prune.
Does it attract butterflies, and will rabbits eat it?
Butterflies and bees visit the flowers. The leaves have a strong scent, and rabbits and deer tend to leave it alone.
What are the common problems?
Whiteflies are the main pest on lantana, and they can build up in late summer. Control them if the numbers keep climbing. Frost damage in a cold winter is the other common issue.
How is it different from New Gold Lantana?
New Gold grows as a low mound about 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. Yellow Trailing Lantana is a trailing type, so it stays low and runs wider along the ground and over edges.
Yellow vs purple and white trailing lantana: what is the difference?
Trailing lantanas come in purple, white and yellow, and all three stay low and spread wide. They take the same full sun, reflected heat and spring cutback, so pick the flower color you want.
Yellow Trailing Lantana for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Yellow Trailing Lantana is a low, spreading lantana grown in the Valley as a flowering groundcover. It fills in fast, blooms yellow through the warm months, and takes full sun and reflected heat. Below are the questions people ask most, from spacing and watering to frost cutback and how it compares to other lantanas.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big does yellow trailing lantana get in Arizona?
Trailing lantana stays about 1 to 3 feet tall and spreads about 4 to 8 feet wide. It grows fast once the weather warms.
How far apart do you plant trailing lantana?
Plant about 4 to 6 feet apart center to center for a groundcover. About 4 feet fills in faster, and about 6 feet gives a looser look. The spacing calculator can count plants for your bed.
Yellow trailing lantana for slopes and wall tops
Trailing lantana is planted on banks and slopes as a groundcover and for erosion control. The stems spill over low walls, raised beds and big pots.
Watering yellow trailing lantana in Phoenix
Water often for the first few weeks, then taper off. Once rooted, about once a week in summer keeps it full and blooming. Water less often in the cooler months.
Does yellow lantana take reflected heat?
Yes. It handles full sun and the reflected heat off walls, driveways and sidewalks, and it flowers best in full sun.
Cutting back trailing lantana after a freeze
Leave frost damage in place until frost danger has passed, usually early March in the Valley. Then cut it back, as low as about 6 inches. It regrows from the roots.
Yellow trailing lantana vs New Gold lantana
New Gold grows as a low mound about 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. Yellow Trailing Lantana is a trailing type that stays low and spreads wider.
What soil does trailing lantana need?
It grows in clay, loam or sand, and it handles alkaline and rocky soil as long as water drains. Dig out caliche so the bed does not stay soggy.
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