3/4/04

Contacts:
Linda Naeve, Reiman Gardens, (515) 294-8946, lnaeve@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

Reiman's Pick for the week of March 1, 2004

Egyptian Star Flower Feeds Butterflies

By Linda Naeve
ISU Extension Coordinator,
Reiman Gardens

Gardening can be a bit like cooking- there are certain easy-to-prepare recipes you and your family enjoy, so you routinely fix them for dinner. In the garden, when a flowering plant works well and looks particularly good, you tend to plant it year after year. This week's Reiman's Pick - Egyptian star cluster - is a flowering annual that will entice you to "step out of the box" and try something new.

Egyptian star cluster is one of the common names for Pentas lanceolata; however, it is often referred to by its genus name, Pentas. Egyptian star cluster is a good description of this East African native that produces round, 4-inch clusters of small, star-shaped flowers in pink magenta, lilac or white. It grows 3 to 6 feet in height in its native habitat, but will only grow 2 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in width in Iowa gardens. Attractive, dark green, elliptical-shaped leaves cover pentas branches making it a beautiful background for its bright flowers.

If you want more than just pretty flowers, you might try a new pentas variety, 'Stars and Stripes,' which offers brilliant red blooms and attractive variegated foliage. It is not only attractive and unusual; it is also sturdy. Last year, 'Stars and Stripes' pentas was recognized in the Athens Select Program of Georgia because it is heat and humidity tolerant as well as beautiful.

Pentas are woody-based perennials that are hardy in southern, frost-free zones. In northern zones after the threat of frost has past, small plants are set in the garden and grown as annuals. Garden centers often start pentas as rooted cuttings and sell the plants in 4- to 6-inch pots. Starting pentas from seed is a long, tedious process because the seeds are small, and they grow slowly, requiring 16 weeks or more to reach an adequate size for the garden.

Well-branched pentas plants will be covered with flower clusters throughout the summer. To increase the number of branches and create a bushier plant, pinch the terminals of the shoots back at planting time and remove the spent flower clusters.

Although they tolerate partial shade, pentas will bloom more profusely in full sun. Pentas grow well in average, well-drained soil kept moderately moist.
Pentas are bright additions to perennial borders and work well as bedding plants with large groups of annuals. They are excellent container plants that contrast wonderfully with colorful coleus and sweet potato vines. Pentas bring other beauty to the garden - the small, tubular star-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Red and pink pentas are a primary source of nectar for the hundreds of butterflies inside the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens. This summer you will see several pentas varieties in a wide range of colors planted in annual beds throughout the Gardens.

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Editors: A color photo, suitable for publication, is available at right. Click on the thumbnail photo to go to the fullsized photo. The picture's fullsize photo is 284K. Caption: A butterfly sipping nectar from a pink pentas in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens.

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