Opening Act Ultrapink is the brightest of its group, with fluorescent rose-pink flowers that open in early summer, two to three weeks ahead of standard garden phlox.
The dark green, glossy leaves resist mildew and other diseases and handle summer heat and humidity. The plant grows about 22 to 28 inches tall, spreads slowly by stolons and reblooms later in the season if sheared. The flowers are fragrant and good for cutting.
What it looks like
Flat, five-petaled flowers about 1 inch across in intense fluorescent rose pink are 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 28 inches tall and 32 to 36 inches wide. At peak bloom the clump is covered in vivid rose-pink clusters that stand out from across the garden.
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 vivid rose-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
-
Botanical name: Phlox
-
Flower color: Fluorescent rose pink
-
Foliage: Glossy dark green
-
Growth habit: Broad, upright, slowly spreading clump
-
Mature size: 22–28 in tall × 32–36 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
-
Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
-
Bloom start: Early-June
-
Peak bloom: Late-June
-
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
