zone 8 annual, sorry.. San Antonio and South it will come back but for us annual.

Enjoy as an annual with plenty of sun, water rich soil and regular feeding and the beauty and butterflies will amaze you.
Happy Growing David

My sister in law in Garland has had it come back, but she's got a really protected back yard. It's kind of hit and miss around here. I keep mine in pots and put in the flowerhouse over winter. Looks really tacky by spring, but I just trim it up, fertilize and it does fine the second year. Third year, well, I don't think it really likes the flower house, so I pushed my luck and it died.

I haven't had them come back outside,but had the best luck with some I stuck into the big pots with my brugmansias. The pentas were the prettiest houseplant / flowers I've had!

They bloomed in the light from a south and east facing window under the eaves. This year I'm saving more as houseplants.

I am amazed that they flowered indoors. And, that any survived the winter in Garland (outdoors). This plant wasn't around when I left Texas years ago, but as I understand it, it is now one of the most popular bedding or container plants, although I was under the impression that at 32 degrees they were goners. As I see more and more at garden centers, I can see why they have become so popular.
My daughter said that her experience was that the reds and pinks were more hardy and robust than the darker colors.

It's a fantastic annual here in the Dallas area. In fact, it's my favorite summer annual, with petunias being my favorite in the spring. I grow it in the ground (well prepared beds only), as well as in large containers. It needs regular watering when it's not raining. I've found that it appreciates some afternoon shade during the hottest part of the summer (who doesn't?).

Randy

Click on me to enlarge:

It comes back from the roots for me in my Zone 8B...Jeanne

Never goes dormant here in 9b. Blooms on & off most of the year too. Kind of looks a little straggly in January/February. Full sun to partial shade.
Tally Ho!

Mine didn't like the cold snaps this winter (we dipped to 23 for one night!) but I made sure to cover them every time we even came close to freezing. By early spring I saw new growth trying to squeeze out near the base of the plant so I cut off all the stuff above it (all foliage and stems). They are taking off now (well, one is. The other seems to be a runt.) The big one is flowering like crazy. I'm a bit northwest of Houston so I don't know if I fall in zone 8b or 9, but my red pentas made it this winter (and so did the ones next door, although they didn't get covered ONCE!).

Good luck!

PS--i don't know why, but I have never seen butterflies on my pentas. I don't see any bees in my yard, either.

Lindsey..I see butterflies and honeybees on mine all the time..if you have a bunch of stuff blooming..they will come...Jeanne

Thanks so much. I think I'll plant it in the new bed and see what happens. Maybe it'll come back, maybe it won't. Do y'all see any problems with it taking hot afternoon sun?

Mine are planted where they get full sun from about 1pm on...they love it...Jeanne

I live in Arlington, TX (north Texas). Last year, I received a small small Pentas plant. It survived well in my flowerbed and because it was given by a dear friend, I decided to try to save it through the winter and make it a perennial. I dug up the plant at the end of the year before the first (or was it second) frost, I potted it and placed it in my garage under a cheap heat lamp. I watered all winter and this spring, moved it back to my garden. It has not yet flowered but the plant is looking good and strong. Will now try it with more plants I will purchase tomorrow. Love this plant. Gorgeous blooms.

An avid houseplant and herb grower, I'm expanding into vegetable and container flower gardening. I just purchased my first Pink Penta and just repotted it. Sounds like I can treat this as an annual in south TX. Amazed at the plethora of information in this forum - very grateful to have found this!

Will frequently come back in Houston, Texas, but not always. I have had them come back from the roots after freezing to the ground. One good quality it has, is that it will grow in shade and still bloom, as long as it gets a couple of hours of sun. Mine did anyway. I had some in mostly shade, and they did just fine. I really like my red pentas.

Thanks for reviving this old thread. Pentas are truly great plants for color and for butterflies. I read on the Butterfly Forum to get the tall red ones as they contain the most nectar for butterflies, and indeed that is what I see planted in the enclosed butterfly exhibits in zoos and parks, but have found that butterflies use the short red ones in my garden. I have them growing in full sun. I never see the tall offered in nurseries. Perhaps they have to be grown from seed or obtained by mail order.

In my experience, the regular species pentas are more winter hardy with lots of mulch, but the improved varieties never make it. I've only seen the standard pentas a handful of times at nurseries.