Uptown Girl is a garden phlox with light pink flowers marked by a star-shaped dark pink eye. It reblooms well and resists powdery mildew, keeping its dark green leaves into fall.
At 32 to 36 inches tall, it suits the middle to back of the border and gives plenty of stems for cutting. The fragrant flowers are a favorite of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
What it looks like
Dome-shaped panicles are made of flat, five-petaled flowers about 1 inch across in light pink, each with a deep pink starburst at the center. The panicles top sturdy, upright stems. Leaves are lance-shaped, dark green and arranged in pairs up the stems. The plant forms a full, upright clump about 32 to 36 inches tall and 28 to 32 inches wide. At peak bloom light pink heads with darker centers cover the top of the clump.
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 light 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
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Botanical name: Phlox paniculata
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Flower color: Light pink with a star-shaped dark pink eye
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Foliage: Dark green
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Growth habit: Full, upright clump
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Mature size: 32–36 in tall × 28–32 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-July
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Peak bloom: Late-July
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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.