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..... Author unknown.

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Malaysian Flora USDA Zone 11
Welcome to our exotic world of everlasting summers and tropical rainforests!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Egyptian Star Cluster - The Colourful, Pretty Pentas

1. Pentas lanceolata 'Light Purple'
I love pentas because I can select from a variety of different colours or have them all.
They brighten up my garden and the pretty little flowers attract butterflies and bees.



2. Pentas lanceolata 'Pink'
Pentas are always blooming and they are long lasting.

“Colourful, Pretty Pentas”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on August 5th, 2012.

3. Pentas lanceolata 'Carnea' 
Scientific name: Pentas lanceolata
Synonym: Pentas carnea
Common name: Star Flower, Egyptian Star Cluster
Family: Rubiaceae
Category: Shrub
(Annual in cool climates, perennial tendency in Malaysia and warmer zones)
Origin: Tropical Africa to Arabia

All photos are taken at my home garden except for the last 2.

The genus and common name "Pentas" is derived from the Greek word "pente" for five in relation to the floral organs - Source: "New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening, Unabridged, Volume 4" by Thomas Everett.

"Lanceolata" refers to the plant's lance-shaped leaves.

I wonder about the common name "Egyptian Star Cluster". Perhaps it refers to the ancient Egyptian star symbol which is a five pointed star??? -  Reference : Anceint Egypt the Methology site.

4. Pale Pink
Actually this colour is most difficult to photograph.
The shade is just a touch of very light pale pink.

5. Pentas lanceolata 'Alba' - white 

This pure white is very photogenic. 

6. Purple, double flowers pentas
This looks like the double flower variety, please correct me if I am wrong.
The flowers seem to always remain half opened.

7. Pentas Bush
Now, some landscaping ideas.
The above is a penta bush planted at the rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama.

Pentas can be grown in a container or on the ground in flower beds, borders.
They are also suitable as ground covers and along slopes.

8. Multicolour Pentas
Pentas used as a border plant at Floria 2012.

Grow under full to partial sun, in moist but well-drained soil, water regularly and fertilise fortnightly. Prune and deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms.

This is my post for Fertilizer Friday hosted by Glenda of Tootsie Time.

28 comments:

  1. Those are really lovely. I love all of the colors you have.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cher, I'll add more if there are other colours. I'm sure they'll brighten up my garden.

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  2. Awww Ms Belle, this is my all time favorite! And you have all the colors! I envy you :) I have red. Now on the lookout for pink and lilac colors.

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    Replies
    1. Ash, I find the red one most easy to grow and very lasting.

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  3. I thought all of them are from your garden, then found the last 2 are not. We have many colors before but not all of them survived the dry season because we don't water them. I also noticed in the past that it is very easily pollinated such that i got two colors different from my original colors. However, the purples (i had 2 purple hues before) don't give big umbels like the red and the pinks. The whites i have difficulty growing too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrea, as explained in my post, the last 2 pictures are added to show how pentas are used in landscaping.

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  4. I have a purple penta and a red one. I love all of your colors.

    FlowerLady

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    Replies
    1. Flower Lady, the red and purple are among the first ones I buy because these are my favourite colours.

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  5. Tienes razón de estar encantada con tanta belleza.

    Saludos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chomp says, "You have reason to be delighted with such beauty. Greetings." Thanks!

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  6. Wow, the pink ones are really pretty.

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    Replies
    1. Sean L, I like that they have a paler shade in the centre which makes them look so sweet.

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  7. Your pentas are lovely. I used to have big bushes of them but have to give them up because they require frequent deadheading, pruning and replanting.

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    Replies
    1. Stiletto, I find that careful pruning of spent flowers will encourage the plant to be more bushy and bloom more.

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  8. Replies
    1. Mark and Gaz, I really enjoyed your current blog post which is currently showing a visit to a beautiful garden.

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  9. That's beautiful collection of pentas! You have many variety colour of them! Do they produce seeds?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, those Pentas are beautiful! I never had them, and I appreciate seeing all the varieties in this post!

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  11. I used to have pentas in my garden before until they all slowly died.
    The problem I faced is regular dead-heading.
    And they require good sunlight to bloom - otherwise it will all be leaves without blooms.
    They need to pruned regularly or else they become leggy and mature fast to death.
    Having in a shaded area is not recommended as they are very much get attacked with whiteflies.
    Other than that - this is one of the hardy plants that can weather through if they are taken cared properly.

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  12. Beautiful flowers and lovely photos, my favorite is the purple, double flowers pentas.

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  13. hello Autumn Belle, I love the bright pink pentas and have several in bloom in my garden as well. The secret to keeping them alive is to cut them back when they become leggy and when they have finished flowering.

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  14. Bardzo podobają mi się ich pojedyncze kwiatki, wyglądające jak kolorowe gwiazdki. Kwiaty we wszystkich kolorach są śliczne. Pozdrawiam.
    I love the flowers, the individual, looking like colorful stars. Flowers of all colors are beautiful. Yours.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Right, Autumnbelle, the white ones are so photogenic with the bee adding a bit of drama on it. Precision and accuracy of your shots, you captured the beauty of their colors and I always admire you for that...

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  16. The white looks sparkly on the plant. I must say that's my favorite!

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  17. Love to read your blog. Mind to share where you bought pentas flower from? I'm staying in KL. Have a nice weekend.

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    Replies
    1. I bought the pentas from Delima Tani at Lot 49 and 50 Selangor Green Lane, the link here:

      http://mygardendirectory.blogspot.com/2012/03/delima-tani-lot-49-and-50-selangor.html

      Delete

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