Illustration
Red Pentas
Pentas lanceolata
Red Pentas blooms from May through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Red Pentas
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 10–11. Expect it to reach about 20 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Red Pentas. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Red Pentas
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Red Pentas into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from May to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 10, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 10 in January. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Red Pentas get?
20 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Red Pentas in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Red Pentas
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Red Pentas about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Red Pentas to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Red Pentas' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 4 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASEDIS FP465, Pentas lanceolata fact sheetheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASGardening Solutionsheight, spread, sun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.