Dianthus 'Paint the Town Fuchsia'

Dianthus 'Paint the Town Fuchsia': Hot Fuchsia on Cool Blue Foliage

Some flowers have smooth edges and quiet manners. 'Paint the Town Fuchsia' showed up with heavily serrated petals and lavender centres, like it took pinking shears to its own outfit. SHARP DRESSER. SHARPER ATTITUDE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Dianthus hybrid
• Common Name: Pinks
• Series: Paint the Town series, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 15–20 cm (6–8 in)
• Spread: 30–36 cm (12–14 in)
• Flowers: Single, fuchsia flowers about 2–2.5 cm (¾–1 in) across, with heavily serrated petals and lavender centres
• Bloom Time: Early summer, with rebloom into early fall after shearing (June to September)
• Foliage: Glaucous blue, evergreen, forming a low mound
• Features: Heat and salt tolerant, fragrant flowers and foliage

Where to Plant: Use it to edge a sunny path, front a border or fill pockets in a rock garden. It works as a container filler and in a small cut-flower bed, and its salt tolerance suits beds near the street or driveway.

Companion Plants: Use 'Paint the Town Fuchsia' at the front of a sunny, dry bed with red grass and warm coneflowers. Sedum 'Tricolor' adds pink, cream and green leaves at 10 to 15 cm. Echinacea 'Mellow Scarlets' brings orange and red coneflowers at 80 cm from June to October. Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Lemonade' adds lemon-to-pink spikes at 105 to 120 cm from May to July. Imperata 'Red Baron' adds upright blades that turn blood red from early summer, at 45 to 50 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in average soil that drains well. Neutral to alkaline pH is ideal. Soggy winter soil is the main risk, so lighten heavy clay with grit or raise the planting slightly. Water through its first season, then only in extended dry spells. Shear the plant back lightly after the first flush to tidy it and push out a second round of flowers in late summer and early fall. Leave the evergreen foliage over winter and trim any damaged leaves in spring. Divide every few years if the clump opens in the middle.

History: 'Paint the Town Fuchsia' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from a 2012 cross between Dianthus 'Neon Star' and 'Kahori', and was picked out as a seedling in 2013. It was one of the first plants in the Paint the Town line of Proven Winners® pinks.

Final Thoughts: Give it a haircut after the first flush and it comes right back for an encore. THIS ONE NEVER KNOWS WHEN TO GO HOME.