Use & Care NotesCompanion Plants
Paint the Town Fancy Dianthus: Red-Eyed Pinks for Lavender Edges
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Paint the Town Fancy dianthus has single, 1-inch flowers in rosy fuchsia, each with serrated petals and a darker red ring at the center, like a tiny target. At peak bloom the flowers blanket a low mound of narrow, glaucous blue leaves so completely that you barely see the foliage at all.
It is the largest and most detailed of the Paint the Town pinks, and the red eye is what sets it apart.
Paint the Town Fancy at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Dianthus 'Paint the Town Fancy' |
| Flowers | About 1 inch, rosy fuchsia with a red eye and toothed petals |
| Fragrance | Lightly sweet |
| Foliage | Glaucous blue, semi-evergreen |
| Size | 8 to 10 inches tall, 16 to 18 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts early June, peaks mid-June, repeats in early fall after shearing |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun to light part shade |
Why it edges lavender so well
Dianthus and lavender come from the same school of gardening: sun, lean soil, and please do not overwater. That makes this one a natural front-row plant. Its blue foliage echoes the silver-gray of lavender leaves, so the edge looks cohesive even when nothing is blooming, and it stays attractive most of the year.
In June, the fuchsia flowers open right as early lavender starts, giving you a pink ribbon under the purple. Plant it along a path or the bed's sunny lip, spaced near its mature width so each mound gets airflow. Sketch your edge in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Soil: average and well drained. It tolerates dry spells but dislikes wet, heavy soil.
- Water: let the soil dry between waterings and water at the base rather than overhead.
- Shearing: cut back lightly after the first flush for a second round in early fall.
- Heat: bred for heat tolerance and to resist the center die-out that older pinks suffer. Bloom slows in the hottest weeks and returns as nights cool.
- Winter: reliably hardy in Michigan in sharp drainage. Do not pile mulch over the crown, and tidy winter-damaged leaves in spring.
Small bouquets
Short stems of red-eyed fuchsia flowers and a few sprigs of fresh lavender make a sweet little jar arrangement for a windowsill. They are best fresh; dianthus does not dry well.
About the plug tray
It is offered as a full 72-cell plug tray, enough to edge long lavender rows or fill several mixed containers. See the product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
What is center die-out?
Some older dianthus go bare and brown in the middle after a few years. This series was selected to resist that.
How does Fancy differ from the other Paint the Town colors?
Fancy has the red eye and a slightly taller mound. The others are solid fuchsia, magenta or red.
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