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Florida Gardening

Pentas died back in the winter, is struggling to come back

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

My white pentas died back this winter, and I was thrilled when I saw green coming up from the base, but it just won't grow. I've fertilized it with MIracle Gro 15-30-15 and watered it plenty. I'm adding more pentas this year, a red tall one and two smaller purple ones, and I'd really like this one to grow, because it was so pretty last year.

I'm not used to pentas dying in the winter, because when I was in 9b/10a, they just stayed alive all year. These are the first pentas I've planted here. So many little things I have to learn about this zone. I'm thinking of digging it up and putting it into a container, like I did my hardy hibiscus, which hasn't come up yet either, but it's stubborn cuss and may not come up until June. Potting it up saved it, so maybe it will save my penta too? What would you do?

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Comments (3)

User
4 years ago
Mine are just now breaking out of the ugly phase, I just keep watering and fertilizing and pinching off the faded blooms. This year has been strange, everything is behaving differently. Usually by now if I've planted Zinnias and Cosmos, they are at least knee high and blooming like crazy, this year they are just struggling to get any growth and the stupid things are flowering before they get any height on them and the Zinnias are already getting that diseased look that they get when it gets too humid. And we haven't even gotten to the top of the humidity scale yet. But the weeds are going gangbusters. Last year the Crepe Myrtles took forever to bloom, this year they are starting to already. I guess it keeps us on our toes.
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dirtygardener
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Rita, I agree that things are acting weird. I planted some Firespike bush cuttings in one garden, and they have barely grown at all, but the one in a container is growing like mad. I'm going to dig the one in the ground up to see if I can get it to grow in a container.

I didn't even bother with marigolds and zinnias this year because of the early heat. I knew they wouldn't do well. Zinnias usually do better for me in the fall, when it's cooler and drier anyway.

On the other hand, some of my heat loving flowering plants are thriving, like the desert rose and butterfly weed.
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Pruning now can cause further damageand or death (depending on current condition of the plant) seeing as the shrub is already stressed from the cold snap and the addition stress from the pruning can push it over the edge. As far as how to overwinter them outside, I cant really cant give you any help (seeing as I live in Chicago and the temps get really cold). I am also unfamiliar with the temperature fluctuation in your state and the hardiness of the plant/s in question. I guess it also depends on not only the overall health of the shrub at any given time but how extreme the weather is from tear to year. I keep my tropical hibiscus's in pots, placing them in their desired spots outdoors during the summer and then just bring them indoors during winter, which I also do with my tropical Bonsai. When concerning what hardiness (cold tolerance) your tropical Hibiscus has, its a matter of what exact type/sub-species you have. This is due to the fact that different types and breeds have different resistance to weather and other factors. If you know the species I recommend doing some research on it online.
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I don't know who all remembers it, but last year I was agonizing over whether it was right for me to snag a couple clippings off a prolific flowering red penta next door. The house was abandoned and had just been forclosed but there was no sign of intent to sell. The place was dead and falling into disrepair but those pentas bloomed madly all summer long (with NO care whatsoever). i was encouraged by more than one gardener to "save" the plants by taking a few modest cuttings. Turns out that's exactly what I did, because now mine are still alive, and those big bushes next door are completely brown-black and look hideous. The renters who ended up moving in don't give a rat's you-know-what about anything on that property and so they didn't cover the plants (nor do they mow or pull weeds or scoop dog poop). Now, they might could come back if the dead stuff were cut away, but I somehow don't imagine that happening over there, unless something drastic changes. I'm not sure what I will prune them back with, as my bypass pruners really need a sharpening and the stem is as thick as a pencil or more. Thank you very much for your input! I'm glad to see these babies made it through our freezes! Also, I snapped a tiny twig off my little tropical hibiscus today and was happy to see green in there. It looks like a heap of sticks right now but I have hope that something will start growing on it soon.
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dirtygardener
Original Author
4 years ago
About crepe myrtles, ours around the complex usually bloom all at once, but only one has bloomed so far this year, the white one. The beautiful lavender and watermelon colored ones aren't blooming at all. Climate Change sucks.
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