These pollinator-attracting plants bring butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees to your garden.
Pentas(Pentas lanceolata)is one of thebest pollinator-attracting plantsaround.
It blooms all summer long, even during the hottest weather conditions.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
The blooms come in shades of pink, white, red, and lavender.
Gently remove the plant from its pot and loosen the root ball.
Wait to plant in spring until after the last frost.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Pentas Care Tips
Overall, pentas are low-maintenance and easy to grow in any garden setting.
Light
Ideally, pentas prefer to beplanted in full sunat least six hours of direct sunlight daily.
They can tolerate partial shade but wont bloom as profusely.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Water pentas regularly until they are established; after that, rainfall is usually sufficient for these plants.
Give them supplemental water if your area has a particularly lengthy dry spell.
Pruning
The overall habit of these plants is neat and compact.
Credit: Justin Hancock
If plants get too long and woody, cut them backthe plants will rejuvenate themselves.
Potting and Repotting Pentas
Pentas can grow outdoors in containers filled with good-quality potting soil.
Place several plants in a large container that has good drainage.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
The plants will fill in to provide an attractive flower show all summer.
Because these plants are annuals in most areas, they are not usually repotted in outdoor containers.
Dip the stem inrooting powderand insert it into potting soil.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Keep it moist and in a shady place while the roots develop.
you’ve got the option to also useleaf cuttingsor grow pentas from seed.
Use a seed starter mix, and dont cover the seeds.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Harden off the plants for at least a week before moving them outdoors.
Here are some favorites.
Butterfly Light Lavender Pentas
PentasButterfly Light Lavender bears lavender-pink flower heads on compact 14-inch-tall plants.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Graffiti Bright Red Pentas
PentasGraffiti Bright Red bears large clusters of rich-red flowers on dwarf 12-inch-tall plants.
Graffiti Lipstick Pentas
PentasGraffiti Lipstick is adorned by clusters of bright rosy-pink flowers on compact 12-inch-tall plants.
Graffiti Pink Pentas
PentasGraffiti Pink bears big heads of pink flowers on 12-inch-tall plants.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Graffiti White Pentas
PentasGraffiti White bears large flower heads ofpure-white bloomson 12-inch-tall plants.
Kaleidoscope Appleblossom Pentas
PentasKaleidoscope Appleblossom shows off clusters of soft-pink flowers through the summer.
It grows 18 inches tall.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Kaleidoscope Pink Pentas
PentasKaleidoscope Pink bears large clusters of soft-pink blooms on 18-inch-tall plants.
It offers lavender-pink flowers on a 4-foot-tall plant.
Its easy to grow and a great choice for containers.
Credit: Justin Hancock
In frost-free climates (Zones 911), its a great perennial groundcover, as well.
Salvia
There are few gardens that dont have at least onesalvia growing in them.
Most salvias dont like cool weather, so plant them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed.
Credit: Justin Hancock
African Marigold
Theres nothing subtleabout an African marigold, and thank goodness for that!
Most are yellow, orange, or cream.
The mounded dark green foliage is always clean, fresh, and tidy.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Grow them in a warm, sunny spot with moist, well-drained soil all summer long.
Bring the plants inside before thefirst frost in your area.
Set them in a sunny window in a warm room.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
Pentas are deer-resistant, rabbits dont like them, and most other animals pass them by.
They are large enough to pluck off a plant manually when you see one.
Pentas are commonly known as Egyptian star cluster and Egyptian star flower.
Pentas plants belong to the Rubiaceaefamily of plants,which includes gardenias and coffee plants.
