My aunt in Singapore planted blood red pentas alongside apricot coloured crossandras, gentian evolvulus and sky blue plumbago. I loved the combination.
So a few years down the road, when I found myself back in my familiar backyard, I looked for the plants eager to recreate that same beauty. The last three plants were easy enough to find, but not the first …
I found white, pink, mauve, purple and dark red pentas though – these plants have a more compact and neater habit.
They may not be the same red variety my aunt had, but they were lovely all the same.
This fast growing annual blooms readily and the clusters last a couple of weeks at least. Its star-shaped flowers are reminiscent of the phlox – but are a lot easier to grow and to maintain in the tropics.
I love to plant the pentas on its own. But I also like to combine them with torenia, zinnia, melampodium, angelonia, balsamina and cataranthus – all of which are stalwarts in our garden.
As soon as the flowers fade, snip them off. Deadheading the plants regularly prolongs the flowering period. This is also when I take cuttings for propagation. Done regularly, I get a continuous supply of healthy robust pentas plants to take over from spent and tired ones.
So one plant goes a long way – unless laziness gets the better of me, of course. When that happens, I just get another on my next visit to the garden centre. Not a bad investment for just a couple of dollars.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to keep a lookout for the one that refuses to be found.
Care and propagation: Full sun, well-drained soil, water generously preferably in the mornings. If you have to water the pant late in the evenings, avoid wetting the leaves.
Propagate using cuttings (preferred) or seeds (these never get the chance to form as deadheading is recommended)
I have never seen this Pentas Lanceolata before. Beautiful cluster of flowers. They remind me of Ixora. I am learning about many new plants through your blog, Typicalgarden! You have many stunning plants in your garden.
thanks, JC. we love the pentas. they’re easy to propagate so that’s a nice plus point.
may i know where can i get the seed of Pentas flower?