Phlox Super Ka-Pow™ Pink

Phlox Super Ka-Pow™ Pink: Big Pink Heads on a Tidy Frame

Pink flowers with a hot-pink eye, over narrow green leaves that stay clean all season while other phlox go grey and crusty. SOME PLANTS JUST HAVE GOOD GENES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Phlox paniculata 'Balsukapin'
• Common Name: Garden Phlox
• Series: Super Ka-Pow™, from Darwin Perennials
• Height: 45–50 cm (18–20 in)
• Spread: 45 cm (18 in)
• Flowers: Pink with a hot-pink eye, fragrant, in large rounded clusters
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Narrow green leaves that stay clean through the season
• Features: Fragrant, good cut flower, bred for good powdery mildew resistance
• Plant Patent: USPP 33,188

Where to Plant: Use it at the front or middle of a sunny border, along a walkway where you can catch the scent, or in a large patio container. A row of three or five makes a solid band of summer colour, and it handles city conditions in small urban front yards.

Companion Plants: Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Lemonade' flowers from May to July with bicolour spikes at 105 to 120 cm. Hibiscus 'Marshmallow Moon' takes over with big white flowers from July to September. Campanula 'Blue Magic'® spills blue flowers along the front from June to September. The pink phlox fills the middle from June to August.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in fertile soil that stays evenly moist but drains well. It doesn't like standing water. Leave space around each plant for airflow and water at the base, not over the leaves, to help keep mildew away. Deadhead faded clusters to encourage more flowers. Cut the stems down in late fall or early spring. Divide in spring every few years when the centre of the clump starts to thin. Deer and rabbits will nibble garden phlox, so protect young plants if they're regular visitors.

History: Garden phlox is native to the eastern United States, and its name comes from the Greek word for flame. 'Balsukapin' was bred by Ball Horticultural and is sold in Darwin Perennials' Super Ka-Pow™ series, developed for compact, well-branched plants with larger flower heads and improved mildew resistance.

Final Thoughts: Fragrant, compact and loved by butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Cut a bunch for the kitchen. PINK NEVER PUNCHED THIS HARD.