Lucky Star pentas named Louisiana Super Plant

(05/27/20) HAMMOND, La. — The second Louisiana Super Plant announced for 2020 are Lucky Star pentas.

“Pentas are one of the best landscape plants for attracting pollinators to a garden, and with their bright vivid colors, pentas attract people as well,” said LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jeb Fields.

The Louisiana Super Plants program already has included Butterfly pentas, and Lucky Star pentas were so good that it was time to add another group, he said.

Across several AgCenter trial sites and through the years, these were continually top performers.

In fact, Lucky Star Dark Red was one of the top winners in 2018 in the Hammond Research Station Ornamental Trials,” he said. “And Lucky Star Lavender was one of the top performers in the 2019 Hammond trials and the 2019 container trials at Hammond.”

Lucky Star pentas are grown by seed and are more compact than most other landscape pentas. They grow only 10 to 12 inches tall, yet still keep the nonstop color throughout the season. High bloom density and large bloom openings keep pollinators coming back for more throughout the season.

Pentas do not need deadheading to have lasting color. “They also are very tolerant to our chaotic climate, performing very well through the lengthy droughts in late summer,” Fields said.

Space Lucky Star pentas about 10 to 12 inches apart in the landscape, and they will grow to fill in the gaps. Lucky Star pentas make great additions to planters and do wonderful in individual containers, he said.

Six colors currently available in the Lucky Star series are Lipstick, White Improved, Deep Pink, Lavender, Violet and Dark Red.

More information on Louisiana Super Plants is available online at www.LSUAgCenter.com/SuperPlants and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/louisianasuperplants/.

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Lucky Star pentas. Photo by Ashley Edwards/LSU AgCenter

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Lucky Star pentas. Photo by Ashley Edwards/LSU AgCenter

5/27/2020 3:22:43 PM
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