By Grace Broyles
Big Country Master Gardener
Pentas, or Egyptian Starflowers, have become a great favorite among the summer gardeners in West Texas, including me, for their easy ways and lots of color in a variety of pinks, including violet, and white and red. They love the summer sun and the heat that comes with it. And they bloom and bloom and bloom, until frost.
The scientific name for the plant is pentas lanceolata because each flower has 5 petals and the leaves are lance-shaped. Pentas belong to the very large madder family of plants, including coffee and gentians. It is not native to Texas, or anywhere in the United States. But many of its cultivars have become Texas Superstar plants, some for a long time now, due to the characteristics of beauty, hardiness, pest resistance, and more.
Pentas are native to the grasslands of East Africa and Yemen, and often become shrubs reaching up to 6 feet tall and wide if left alone. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see!
Here, in West Texas, they may grow up to 3 feet tall, depending on the cultivar, and are used to create borders or stands of color, or placed in pots with a mix of other summer choices of plants. Pentas may also be enjoyed as a houseplant in a well-lit window area. Taller Pentas can be used as cut flowers.
Pentas can be planted after the last frost in early spring to give them a great start for the flowering season. They love full sun for most of the day in our gardens, but like most gardeners, prefer some shade in the afternoon. Too much shade will result in fewer blooms. They also require enough water to keep their root systems moist.
This plant is happy in most of our soil types, but needs good drainage, and definitely does much better when mulched to keep it perky. If Pentas are drooping it is a good sign that the plants need a drink. To enjoy a fuller plant, cut off the stem ends when the plant is young. To encourage more blooms, snip off spent flowers.
Pentas are a favorite of Swallowtail Butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Perhaps the best place to plant Pentas, then, is in a designated pollinator garden, with plants that complement and/or contrast their color and growth habits.
Pentas may be grown from seed inside in late winter for an early growing start. Or they may be propagated by cuttings from semi hardwood when night temperatures are about 72 degrees or so. The cuttings should include three nodes and a couple of leaves. The cuttings must be dipped in a rooting hormone and then each one is placed in a small pot of well-draining soil. The cuttings need to be misted so the soil stays moist. They should be fully rooted about five weeks after propagating, and then can be carefully placed in the garden.
Although we’re still in early summer, gardeners quickly clear the counters of this popular plant as soon as supplies come in. So, hurry to your favorite garden center or nursery after a truck delivery has come in, and purchase the colorful Pentas you would like to enjoy for many weeks.
If you have any questions about gardening and plants, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at mgardeners@yahoo.com. We hope you visit bcmgtx.org for information on all Big Country Master Gardener events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube. We are here to help you.
