Walton's Plant Library

Other Names:  Star Cluster, Starflower

Group/Class:  BeeBright Series

Brand:  Syngenta

Description:

An outstanding series presenting dense, bright lipstick pink flower clusters; compact habit and fast flowering, perfect for hanging baskets, patio containers and garden landscapes; heat tolerant and low maintenance

Ornamental Features

BeeBright™ Lipstick Star Flower features showy clusters of hot pink star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. Its large textured pointy leaves remain forest green in color throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

BeeBright™ Lipstick Star Flower is a dense herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. 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. It has no significant negative characteristics.

BeeBright™ Lipstick Star Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

BeeBright™ Lipstick Star Flower will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 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 does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. 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.

BeeBright™ Lipstick Star Flower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.