Fancy Girl is a garden phlox with soft pink flowers, each marked by a dark pink eye inside a white halo; from a distance the plant reads as a blushing pink. It blooms from midsummer and reblooms well.
Like its close relatives, it resists powdery mildew and keeps its dark green leaves clean into fall, even in humid Michigan summers. At 24 to 30 inches, it suits the middle of the border. The fragrant flowers cut well and attract butterflies and bees.
What it looks like
Dome-shaped panicles are made of flat, five-petaled flowers about 1 inch across in soft pink, each marked with a deep pink center ringed in white. The panicles top sturdy, upright stems. Leaves are lance-shaped, dark green and arranged in pairs up the stems. The plant forms an upright clump about 24 to 30 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches wide. At peak bloom the flower heads create a soft blush-pink cover over dark foliage.
Growing it with lavender
Phlox enjoys sun like lavender but wants richer soil and more regular water, so plant it in an adjacent cottage border, where its blush-pink flowers pick up as the first lavender bloom winds down.
Care
Grow in full sun to part shade in average to fertile soil kept evenly moist; full sun and good air flow give the most flowers and the healthiest leaves. Hardy in zones 3-8. Deadhead spent flower clusters to encourage rebloom, and divide every few years in spring to keep the clump vigorous.
At a glance
-
Botanical name: Phlox paniculata
-
Flower color: Soft pink with a dark pink eye and white halo
-
Foliage: Dark green
-
Growth habit: Upright clump
-
Mature size: 24–30 in tall × 20–24 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
-
Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
-
Bloom start: Early-July
-
Peak bloom: Late-July
-
Bloom pattern: Repeat Blooming
-
Deer resistance: Susceptible
-
Pollinator value: Great
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
