Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Fancy Girl Garden Phlox: Blush Pink Fragrance for Summer Borders
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Fancy Girl garden phlox carries dome-shaped heads of soft pink flowers, each marked with a deep pink eye inside a white halo. Up close the pattern is crisp; from across the yard the plant reads as a gentle blush pink. The flowers have the sweet, spicy clove fragrance of classic garden phlox, strongest on warm summer evenings.
It also solves the old garden phlox problem. Fancy Girl was selected for strong resistance to powdery mildew, so its dark green leaves stay clean into fall, even in humid Michigan summers.
Fancy Girl at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Phlox paniculata 'Fancy Girl' |
| Flowers | Soft pink with a dark pink eye and white halo, fragrant |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks late July, about six weeks, with rebloom |
| Size | 24 to 30 inches tall, 20 to 24 inches wide |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 8 |
| Light | Full sun to part shade |
| Wildlife | Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds; deer may browse it |
| Foliage | Dark green, powdery mildew resistant |
The perfect next-door neighbor for lavender
Garden phlox loves sun like lavender, but it wants richer soil and more regular water. Put the two side by side in the same soil and one of them will be unhappy. Instead, plant Fancy Girl in a cottage border adjacent to the lavender bed, where you can water and feed it without soaking the lavender.
The timing works in your favor. Fancy Girl begins in early July and peaks in late July, just as the first big lavender bloom winds down and harvest begins. Its blush pink heads then carry the color forward, and deadheading brings rebloom into late summer. Pink phlox and purple lavender, with the clove and lavender scents drifting together on a warm evening, is about as classic as a summer garden gets. Plan the border in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Light: full sun gives the most flowers and healthiest leaves.
- Soil and water: average to fertile, evenly moist. In drought, lower leaves yellow and drop, so water deeply in dry spells.
- Air flow: even mildew-resistant phlox does best with space between plants.
- Deadheading: remove faded flower heads to encourage rebloom.
- Dividing: every few years in spring to keep the clump vigorous.
- Winter: fully hardy. Cut stems to the ground after a hard frost or in early spring and clear the debris.
For the vase
Fancy Girl is a good cut flower. Cut stems when about half the florets in a head are open, and the fragrance will fill a room. A jar of pink phlox with fresh lavender stems makes an easy midsummer bouquet.
Plug tray or bare root
Fancy Girl is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for growers and large borders, and as a bare root plant for home gardens. See each product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Will Fancy Girl get powdery mildew?
It was selected for strong resistance, so it stays much cleaner than older phlox. Good air flow helps even more.
Is it fragrant?
Yes, it has a moderate, sweet, spicy clove scent that is strongest on warm evenings.
Will deer eat it?
Garden phlox is susceptible to deer, so protect it where deer browse.
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