It’s been a banner year for Graffiti pentas
It seems to be a banner year for butterflies in the South. I’m not sure if there’s a correlation, but pentas are having an incredible year, too.
Especially colorful right now are the Graffiti series of pentas. Home gardeners are using them in mass, much to the delight of pollinators. I especially love the Graffiti Red, Graffiti Lipstick and Graffiti Violet; the series is brought to us from Benary Seed, which is headquartered in Germany.
Pentas work as a transition to the fall garden, especially when paired with Mexican zinnias and rudbeckia. As the weather cools, mix in snapdragons and dianthus.
Another impressive series I’ve spotted in commercial landscapes this year is the HoneyCluster series from Syngenta. The mediumheight HoneyCluster
series comes in four colors and a mix. Next year, the Falling Star series will be the first trailing pentas to hit the market.
If you love butterflies, hummingbirds and months of nonstop color, you will have to try these new pentas. The leaves are shiny and attractive, making for a great contrast with the colorful, star-shaped blossoms.
Pentas’ blooms are abundant all summer long if beds are prepared correctly. They like a site in full sun for best flower production. Prepare the bed by incorporating 3 to 4 inches of organic matter, and till to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. While tilling, incorporate 2 pounds of a slow-release, 12-6-6 fertilizer.
The next step may be the most crucial to happiness with your pentas. If your soil is acidic and you grow azaleas, camellias or blueberries with ease, you will need to add lime to your pentas’ planting area. While preparing the soil, add 5 pounds of a pelletized lime per 100 square feet in sandy soil, or 10 pounds in a clay-based soil. This is recommended because pentas prefer a soil pH of7.
Many gardeners annually apply lime to grass or vegetable gardens, and in this case, a little will help the pentas keep their flowers.
Pentas fit any style of garden. They work in a tropical setting in front of bananas and elephant ears. Or in a cottage garden paired with Chapel Hill yellow lantana and blueflowered Brazilian button bush.
With pentas in the garden, and your home can become a butterfly and pollinator sanctuary.