Lantana – Leaves Browning

Q: We planted lots of yellow lantana atop a retaining wall. The plants were full of blooms but now lots of leaves are turning a grayish brown and crispy. The leaves look peppered on the underside.

A: You have an infestation of lantana lace bug. These small insects roost on the backside of leaves and suck sap from them. Their excrement makes lots of black dots on the undersides of leaves. Not much can be done at this point. There are too many to kill them all and your leaves won’t turn green again. Make note to watch for lacebugs next June and use sprayable garden insecticide to wipe out the first generation then.