Lindseyrose, that's what I do.
Just back to the new growth.
Last year I cut mine back further on one and it shriveled. could have been coincidence.
This is the only place besides Houston decades ago that they didn't die completely through winter

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.

I remember the talk about the penta and glad you got cuttings

My neighbor has only tropical hibiscus, they are in the ground in a bed right beside the creek and they come back every year.

I hope someone has an answer. I have some tall ones that are lanky and almost leafess in some places. I was hoping they would fill out their own stalks faster than they would grow new stalks. But if that's "hope less" I'll prune them hard
cynthia

Well, the new foliage I *think* I see pushing out is on the same woody stalk, but near the very base (like an inch or two from the ground). I will try to take pictures tomorrow and see if any of you can confirm that's what it's really doing, and maybe that will help with the decision to cut them back. I just don't want to make a mistake I will regret. These aren't just a simple run-to-the-nursery replacement; I don't know what variety they are, and I'm sort of attached to them after "raising" them myself. You know? LOL

Hi, I am visiting your forum (from Florida Forum)as I googled pruning pentas and this came up. I have the tall red pentas that bloom all year round here in Central Florida (near Tampa). This year we have had several close to freezing days and the ones on the end of my bed got bit.

So Lindseyrose, did yours come back after hard pruning?

Also if I want to cut back what still has blooms on it cause it growing outside of the bed and into the yard, where would I cut? I have a real hard time cutting back what is doing well but they are going to mowed with the lawn mower if I don't!

Thanks for helping a non-Texan. BTW, I did live in San Antonio for 6 years while DH was in the AF.