Opening Act Pink-a-Dot has near-white flowers marked with a dark pink star in the center, giving the plant a light pink look overall. It blooms from early summer well into midsummer, earlier than tall garden phlox.
The glossy, dark green leaves resist mildew and hold up in summer heat and humidity. The plant grows about 2 feet tall, spreads slowly by underground stems and reblooms into early fall if the spent flowers are sheared off. Pollinators visit it often.
What it looks like
Flat, five-petaled flowers about 1 inch across are near white with a dark pink, star-shaped pattern radiating from the center, gathered into rounded clusters at the stem tips. Leaves are lance-shaped, glossy and dark green in pairs along the stems. The plant forms a broad, upright, slowly spreading clump about 22 to 26 inches tall and 30 to 36 inches wide. At peak bloom the clusters blend into a soft pale pink cover with dark pink star centers visible up close.
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 pale pink flowers pick up as the first lavender bloom winds down.
Care
Plant in full sun for the best flowers, or part shade, in average to fertile, well-drained soil with regular water. Hardy in zones 4-8. Shear spent flower heads after the first flush to encourage more blooms later, and give it room for air to move, which helps keep the leaves clean; it spreads slowly by underground stems.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Phlox
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Flower color: Near white with a dark pink center star
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Foliage: Glossy dark green
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Growth habit: Broad, upright, slowly spreading clump
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Mature size: 22–26 in tall × 30–36 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Late-June
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Bloom pattern: Repeat Blooming
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Deer resistance: Susceptible
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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
