Other Names:  Egyptian Star Flower, Star Cluster, Starflower

Group/Class:  Lucky Star Series

Brand:  PanAmerican Seed

Description:

This compact, densely flowering selection produces large dark red flower clusters from late spring into summer; great for all container types, and landscape applications; heat and drought tolerant

Ornamental Features

Lucky Star® Dark Red Pentas features showy corymbs of dark red star-shaped flowers with creamy white eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall. Its large textured pointy leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Lucky Star® Dark Red Pentas is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Lucky Star® Dark Red Pentas is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Lucky Star® Dark Red Pentas will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Lucky Star® Dark Red Pentas is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.