Egyptian Starflower (Pentas) Plant Profile

Egyptian Starflower (Pentas) Plant Profile

Egyptian Starflower (Pentas lanceolata) is a flowering plant that is actually a woody subshrub in its native habitat of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is hardy to USDA Zones 10 to 11.  In our Mid-Atlantic region, it is used as an annual in containers and garden beds.

The star-shaped flowers come in shades of purple, red, pink, and white. The foliage is lush and deep green.

This annual does best in full to part sun. It is not picky about soil type or acidity levels.

Pentas has season-long color -- blooming all summer until it is hit by a frost in fall.

It can be grown from seed in late winter and even over-wintered as a houseplant.

Deadhead and fertilize it occasionally to encourage flowering.

It is a valuable source of nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Egyptian Starflower: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video Editing by Jackson Wantman

 

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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Gaura Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/gaura-plant-profile.html

~ Globe Amaranth Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/globe-amaranth-plant-profile.html

~ Celosia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

~ Cleoma Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/10/spider-flowers-cleome-hassleriana-plant.html

 

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Monday Thoughts: “Plants guided me toward a healthier relationship with myself, others, and the environment.” ~ Liam Engel

“Plants guided me toward a healthier relationship with myself, others, and the environment.” 

~ Liam Engel

Fenton Friday: Lettuce Seeds Up

This week, I was away in Delaware speaking and touring gardens, there was a little rain this week and the humidity is back. The greens and cool-season herbs that the interns planted last week appear to all be sprouting. For sure. the 'Mesclun Sweet Salad Mix' (the 3rd green stick/line in the photo above) is coming in strong. The rest (Cilantro, Parsley, 'Bloomsdale' Spinach, and two kinds of cutting Lettuce - 'Salad Bowl Blend') appear to be starting. I can see faint little green starts in the other rows, but we'll know better next week. Along the middle path (bottom of the photo), you can see the Yarrow. This herb just never quits and the interns will need to keep on top of it so it doesn't overwhelm their little seedlings. 

I picked more Okra, Cucamelons, and lots of Tomatoes -- and made a few more bouquets with the Dahlias, Zinnias, and Gomphrena.

I still need to pull the Squash plant and the last three fruits forming on it. In its place, I will plant fall Peas and some Radish and Carrots below them.

I am also looking at the Basil plants and thinking I may yank them all this week to make a big batch of pesto for freezing this winter.

This weekend is our monthly HarvestShare collection and for the first time this summer I will be home for it and can donate the abundant Garlic Chives -- along with lots of Okra and Cherry Tomatoes. 

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Mandevilla Plant Profile

Mandevilla Plant Profile

Mandevilla (Mandevilla spp.) is an ornamental vine with trumpet-shaped flowers and glossy green foliage. The blooms come in colors ranging from white to pink to red as well as apricot and yellow versions.

Mandevilla is native to Central and South America and is grown as an annual vine in our region. It is hardy to USDA zones 10 and 11. It blooms all summer long until a hard frost kills it off.

It prefers full sun and well-draining soils. Plant them at the base of a trellis and they will grab on and twine around it quickly. Apply a general-purpose fertilizer to encourage flowering.

Mandevilla vines can grow up to 20 feet high.

Hummingbirds love to visit its flowers as do bees and butterflies. It is also fairly deer-resistant due to milky sap it exudes when cut.

It is a good addition to a tropical theme garden and as a thriller climbing up a support in container plantings.

You may also see the name Dipladenia, which is a close relative of Mandevilla that is a shrubbier, more compact plant that grows well in planters or hanging baskets. There are also hybrids of Dipladenia and Mandevilla available.

Mandevilla: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, Video and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Jackson Wantman

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Loofah Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/11/loofah-plant-profile.html

~ Clematis Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/plant-profile-clematis.html

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Monday Thoughts: “...challenges are the best engines for interesting designs.” ~ Daryl Beyers

 

“...challenges are the best engines for interesting designs.” ~ Daryl Beyers

Fenton Friday: Cool-Season Greens In

Fenton plot pic showing newly planted rows of greens and herbs by Jennifer Baxter.

This week, the weather was typical of early September in DC, some rain, but mainly blue skies and lower humidity. That allowed the interns and I an afternoon to pull out the spent Dill and other summer herbs. In their spot, the interns planted greens and cool-season herbs: Cilantro, Parsley, 'Bloomsdale' Spinach, and two kinds of cutting Lettuce - 'Salad Bowl Blend' and 'Mesclun Sweet Salad Mix'.

We picked more Okra, Cucamelons, and lots of Tomatoes -- 'Citrine', 'Sun Gold', 'Purple Tomato', and 'Fourth of July'. I also made a few more bouquets with the Dahlias, Zinnias, Gomphrena, and abundant Garlic Chives. The bees are loving those chive flowers! We will need to cut them all back soon though before they go to seed.

The Squash plant is petering out, but still has three fruits forming on it. Once I harvest them, I plan to pull them out and plant fall Peas and some Radish and Carrots below them.

Some good news, a hawk has started to patrol our garden and I have not seen bunnies in weeks -- nor other rodents. My Blackberry vines are starting to set fruit again and maybe we will even get to eat a few!

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) Plant Profile

Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) Plant Profile

Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia spp.) is a perennial plant from South America with large, trumpet-shaped flowers that hang facing down. They bloom in mid- to late-summer and are pleasantly fragrant, especially in the early evening. The plant is moth-pollinated. It is also attractive to hummingbirds.

It is hardy to USDA Zones 8-10. In our region where it is not winter-hardy, Brugmansia is typically grown in a large container and then taken in when the weather turns cold. The container can be sunken into the ground during the growing season, if desired.

Brugmansia grows best in full sun. Pot it up in well-draining soils and water it regularly. Apply an all-purpose fertilizer regularly to encourage continual blooming.

It can reach heights up to 20 feet tall. If it gets too big for your space, prune it back in early spring before the new season’s growth emerges. The plant is a vigorous grower and doesn’t mind a hard cut-back.

To propagate Brugmansia, take a 6-inch cutting in early spring and put it in water. Once roots form, pot it up in a 1-gallon container.

Brugmansia is in the nightshade family so it is deer-resistant, but should also be kept away from small children and pets.

Brugmansia: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Videos, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Jackson Wantman

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Devil’s Trumpet Plant Profile

-          https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/08/devils-trumpet-datura-spp-plant-profile.html

-          ~ Jewels of Opar Plant Profile

-          https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/10/jewels-of-opar-plant-profile.html

-          ~ Celosia Plant Profile

-          https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

-          ~ Monkey Balls Plant Profile

-          https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/plant-profile-monkey-balls-gomphocarpus.html

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Win a Set of Three Grow Bag Pots our September 2026 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest

 

For our September 2026 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, we are giving away a set of three grow bag pots (value $30). 

   These fabric garden bags are made of quality nonwoven fabric material, sturdy and breathable, providing an ideal growing environment for plants and flowers. The grow bags are 1-gallon sized. They have handles sewn on for easy transport. The nonwoven material provides good drainage for plants, allowing roots to breathe freely and plants to grow faster and more vigorously. When not in use, they can be folded flat and stored easily. They are reusable for at least three growing seasons and are machine-washable.

   To enter to win the grow bags, send an email BEFORE 5:00pm on September 30 to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Grow Bag Pots” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in our September 2026 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about October 1. Replies might be published. 

Monday Thoughts: “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” ~ Alphonse Karr

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” 

~ Alphonse Karr

September 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Wine Cups, Leeks, Honeyvine, and much more…

 

The September 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

It is posted and archived online at: https://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/september_2026_washington_gardener_magazine

Inside this issue:

Serving up Nectar: Wine Cups

6 Exceptional Plant Picks for Mid-Atlantic Gardens

Invasive Threats

What to Do with Stacks of Plastic Plant Pots

Growing Leeks: An Ancient Plant

Dealing with Honeyvines

Garden Book Reviews

What You Can Grow to Support the Common Buckeye Butterfly

Lesser-known Spring Bulbs

Evergreen Plantings

5 Reasons to Plant a Tree this Fall

Two New Meadow Rue

and much more…

 

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the October 2026 issue are due by September 15.

 

>>  Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: https://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Fenton Friday: Harvest Time

 

Last week I was in Portland, OR, attending the GardenComm annual conference. The gardens there are enviable -- to say the least, but it is good to be home and take stock of the plot. We had some rain and moderate heat, so I was pleased to see the tomatoes are all finally ripening. I picked two cereal bags (I like to re-use them for harvesting in the garden) full of the 'Citrine', 'Sun Gold', 'Purple Tomato', and 'Fourth of July'. (The Purple Tomatoes are pictured above.)

I asked fellow community plot gardeners to harvest Okra while I was away, I think a few did, but I still came back to some past their prime. So I picked and composted those woody/long ones, then gathered any that looked decent.

The Cucamelon vine is also starting to be very productive and I gathered a handfull of those.

Elsewhere in the plot, the Basil plants have all gone to flower and I will not bother pinching them back any more. The Purple Pole Beans seem to have petered out and I think the 'Fairy Tale' Eggplant is done too. The 'Thriller' Squash has a few fruits still forming on the vine, so I'll leave that in for now.

Next week, the new Fall interns and I will be planting a lot of cool-season crops, so I'll need to clear out some areas for that.

Meanwhile, I'm gathering all the Dahlias, Zinnias, Gomphrena, etc. that I can from our plot and pollinator strip (and my home garden) for my Flower Arranging Talk/Demo at the DC State Fair this Sunday. It is FREE and open to all. Please join me at the Education Stage at 1:00pm for some fun playing with flowers! Then I'll be at the Main Stage judging the Flower Arranging Contest for even more flower fun!

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).