Pentas for Christmas

Pentas lasted almost to Christmas outside. A few Butterflies were out briefly yesterday before the rain and wind picked up.
.

Christmas Bouquet, 2012 -- A bouquet picked for Christmas is a rare treat.

I went out and picked as many Pentas stems as I could. I have plans for white Pentas in a bed of whites next spring. You can't have too many 'Ruby' Pentas, just ask the butterflies.

Pentas in Summer

 

When flowers in my bouquet fade, I'll clip off the heads and keep the foliage in water all winter. In the spring, I'll cut off the bottoms of the stems and root them.

 'They' say there's only about a 10% success rate, but last Spring I had really good rootings and in years before.

Pentas in 2008

There are already rooted cuttings in the greenhouse, lots of pink and rose and a few
lavender too but they never seem enough when planting time comes.