Q.Lantana Query
Our Northern California business district has had Lantana adding color to the street. We are in a very mild climate and these are in fairly full sun all day. Suddenly our Burlingame city crew was out there this morning pruning these rather severely. It has not been terribly rainy this year, so they’ve not been getting a ton of water from Mother Nature. I read your article on Lantana and don’t think we’ve had botrytis or mold. I suspect the city public works guy routinely keeps the crew busy by tasking them with unnecessary chores. When questioned, he and another city bigwig routinely come up with seemingly plausible rationale. The plants, by the way, have routinely been trimmed and “manicured” to keep them from looking wild. They did this trimming maybe a month or two ago. Would you say this pruning was necessary?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
It doesn't hurt to trim lantana plants in the spring or late summer to keep them tidy and growing. These may have been extreme if it took off all the growth with leaves. Normally, a shearing doesn't remove all the foliage. Hopefully, it will grow back.
