Pentas, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Pentas blooms nearly year-round in Southwest Florida and keeps butterflies and hummingbirds coming back, so it is an easy pick for a pollinator bed. It grows 2 to 4 ft tall, wants sun with regular water, and fills a bed quickly. Text us the number of plants and any color preference, and we text back a planted price.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade; best bloom with at least 6 hours of sun
- Water:
- Moderate; wilts quickly when dry
- Salt:
- Low to moderate
Pentas
Ask for a photo of the actual plant we would deliver.
Pentas sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Pentas | Call for Quote |
Pentas in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 2 to 4 ft tall and 2 to 3 ft wide
- Light
- Full sun to part shade; best bloom with at least 6 hours of sun
- Water
- Moderate; wilts quickly when dry
- Salt tolerance
- Low to moderate
- Cold tolerance
- Frost burns the tops, though it often regrows from the base; cover inland plants on frost nights
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 inches apart
- Florida native
- No, native to tropical Africa
- Botanical name
- Pentas lanceolata
Where Pentas works in a SW Florida yard
Pentas gives a bed steady color at knee to waist height. Plant it in drifts in front of taller shrubs, along a sunny border or in large pots by a patio, where butterflies and hummingbirds are easy to watch.
Mix colors for a cottage look or stick to one for a bolder block. Lantana, blue porterweed and firebush share its sun and its pollinator crowd.
- Butterfly garden color
- Hummingbird plant
- Bed and border filler
- Container color
How our crew plants it
Pentas go in at pot depth, with the crown level with the soil, in a hole twice as wide. Our crew backfills with native sand, waters them in and cleans up. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart. Mulch 2 inches, off the stems. New plants need regular water, and Lee and Collier allow extra for new plantings.
Care after planting
- Water regularly, because pentas wilts fast in sandy soil; once established, rain and your assigned days usually carry it.
- Trim leggy stems back by about a third in late winter and again after a cold snap to keep the plant full.
- A slow-release fertilizer with micronutrients in spring and early fall keeps pentas blooming; nothing with nitrogen or phosphorus June 1 to September 30 in Lee County, Naples and Marco Island.
- Cut back or replace old, woody plants every few years, since pentas gets leggy with age.
What to watch for
- Yellow leaves with green veins point to an iron or other micronutrient shortage in alkaline sand, which a micronutrient fertilizer corrects.
- Spider mites in hot, dry spells and aphids on new growth cause stippled or curled leaves, so check the undersides now and then.
Pentas questions we hear
Do pentas come back every year in Florida?+
Usually, yes. In Southwest Florida pentas behaves as a short-lived perennial, and a frost can burn the tops, but the plant often regrows from the base in spring. Expect to cut it back after cold and replace tired, woody plants every few years.
How much sun do pentas need?+
Full sun, at least six hours, gives the most flowers. Pentas tolerates part shade but blooms less and gets leggy. In full sun it wilts quickly when dry, so keep it mulched and watered on your assigned days.
Do pentas attract butterflies and hummingbirds?+
Yes. The star-shaped flower clusters are rich in nectar and draw butterflies and hummingbirds nearly all year. Plant them in full sun where you can see them from a patio, and keep pesticides off the bed so the visitors stay.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Pentas
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
Also worth a look
More like this
All perennials & flowers
The service
Landscape installation
Planning a whole yard
See it in 3D first
We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.