Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Opening Act Pink-a-Dot Phlox: Pale Blooms with Dark Pink Stars
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Opening Act Pink-a-Dot phlox has flat, five-petaled flowers that are near white, each marked with a dark pink star radiating from the center. From across the garden the clusters blend into a soft, pale pink; up close, the stars are what you notice. It blooms from early summer well into midsummer, earlier than tall garden phlox.
Phlox loves sun like lavender but wants richer soil and more water, so it suits an adjacent cottage border rather than the lavender bed itself.
Pink-a-Dot at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Phlox Opening Act Pink-a-Dot |
| Flowers | About 1 inch, near white with a dark pink center star |
| Foliage | Glossy dark green, mildew resistant |
| Size | 22 to 26 inches tall, 30 to 36 inches wide |
| Bloom | Early summer into midsummer; reblooms into early fall when sheared |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 8 |
| Light | Full sun to part shade |
A two-zone border with lavender
The easiest way to grow phlox and lavender together is side by side, not mixed. Give lavender the leanest, sunniest, best-drained strip at the front or the high side of the bed, and plant Pink-a-Dot in the richer soil just behind, where you can water more often. Its pale pink cover picks up as the first lavender bloom winds down, and the dark pink stars nod to the deeper purples next door.
Because it reads as pale from a distance, Pink-a-Dot also softens a planting of strong colors and works well with white and pink lavenders. Map the two zones in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Soil: average to fertile, well drained, with compost worked in.
- Water: regular watering, especially in dry spells. Phlox does not like to dry out.
- Airflow: give it room so air can move around the stems. Its glossy leaves resist mildew, and spacing helps them stay clean.
- Rebloom: shear spent flower heads after the first flush for more flowers into early fall.
- Spreading: it spreads slowly by underground stems; divide in spring if it outgrows its spot.
Plug tray or bare root
Pink-a-Dot is offered as a full 72-cell plug tray for growers and large borders, and as a bare root plant for direct planting. Set a bare root phlox with its crown just at the soil surface and water it in. See each product page for current availability, or the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
Is it pink or white?
Both. The petals are near white with a dark pink star in the center, so the plant looks light pink from a distance.
Does it get powdery mildew?
Its glossy leaves resist mildew and hold up in heat and humidity. Good spacing helps even more.
Do pollinators visit it?
Yes. Pollinators visit the flowers often.
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