Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Egyptian Star Flower, Star Cluster, Starflower

Group/Class:  Falling Star Series

Brand:  Syngenta

Description:

This dense, trailing selection produces large light pink flower clusters with rose centers from late spring throughout summer; excellent performance in hanging baskets, patio containers and garden beds; thrives hot and humid conditions

Ornamental Features

Falling Star™ Pink Bicolor Star Flower features showy corymbs of shell pink star-shaped flowers with a rose ring at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall. Its large textured pointy leaves remain forest green in color throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Falling Star™ Pink Bicolor Star Flower is an herbaceous annual with a trailing habit of growth, eventually spilling over the edges of hanging baskets and containers. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Falling Star™ Pink Bicolor Star Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Falling Star™ Pink Bicolor Star Flower will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 26 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Falling Star™ Pink Bicolor Star Flower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its trailing habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.