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If you live in zones 8 to 11 or want a good indoor or greenhouse plant then seriously consider Pentas as they will give you prolific flower clusters and lush, dark green foliage. Even though with global warming and the changes of degrees of heat we have been experiencing in since 2006 I would not have a problem doing some container plants of this flower in my part of Zone 6.
Pentas make great companion plants with buddleias, lantana and ixora when creating a butterfly bed of flowers. For those who want a wonderful container plant then this is for you. Consider combining red Pentas and blue Salvia Guaranitica and you can be sure the hummingbirds will also be visiting your gardens as hummingbirds really love the red and dark pink Pentas.
These plants are prolific in producing wonderful clusters of five star flowers in colors of various shades of pink, red, purple, lavender and white. Some are even two-toned colors and I consider this to be a very underestimated plant.
These may be red, white, lavender, purple, or shades of pink. Some are two-toned. All are extremely attractive to butterflies, and the red and dark pink varieties delight hummingbirds.
In warm areas where you do not experience freezes Pentas will act like a perennial. However most nurseries treat them as annuals and suggest that gardeners replant each year after the last frost.
Pentas will grow upwards to about three feet or may be low, mounding plants depending on the variety you choose. The tall Pentas tend to be sprawling since the tall stems have a habit of toppling over. The nice things I like about these prolific bloomers are that they self-deadhead.
In the warm weather they will be constantly in bloom and will grow fast.
It seems that Pentas originated in Africa. When you plant them make sure you work your soil well and give it some good compost or organic fertilizer and it loved being in a soil that retains moisture. Matter of fact it like moist to average dry conditions. You can plant it in the sun to modest shade, but it will really do its thing in full sun, yet you can get rewarding blooms in the shade. You can take cuttings in the spring and summer.
When you do cuttings remember that Pentas will do better with the use of a rooting hormone. Don’t use peat moss in your propagation medium as it will hold too much water and Pentas like a well aerated medium.
Propagation period is about 4 weeks. Pentas do not do well under lights. Pinch the cuttings back in week 3 to avoid stretching and to promote branching. If you are doing this in a greenhouse or a plant stand that will give bottom heat, then maintain your bottom heat at about 70° F or 21° C to create a good root system.
“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… May your day be filled with…
Peace, Light and Love,
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Many of her articles written for Greenthumbarticles have paintings she has created of the subject and they can be seen at her “How to Do It” site. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Many of her paintings are sold internationally and many of her works of art have been reproduced on note cards, post cards and other functional items and you can get Giclee prints of her artwork starting as low as $11.89 Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books, art, etc. go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my sites.”
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