Dianthus 'Paint the Town Fancy'

Dianthus 'Paint the Town Fancy': Rosy Fuchsia Pinks That Spread the Love

'Paint the Town Fancy' doesn't just go out, it RSVPs in rosy fuchsia with a red eye like it skipped the nap before the party. Heat, drought and road salt? It dances right through them. DRESS CODE: FABULOUS.

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: 41–46 cm (16–18 in)
• Flowers: Single, rosy fuchsia flowers with a red eye and a sweet, spicy fragrance
• Bloom Time: Early summer, with lighter rebloom into fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Glaucous blue, forming a low, dense mound that stays evergreen through mild winters
• Features: Heat and salt tolerant, fragrant flowers and foliage
• Plant Patent: USPP 34,503 / Can 7,375

Where to Plant: Edge a sunny walk with it, tuck it into a rock garden, or let it fill the front of a border, where its wide habit covers bare ground in small spaces. It spills nicely from a container and suits the strip along a sidewalk or driveway where winter salt piles up.

Companion Plants: Geranium maculatum gives soft lavender flowers in May and June and a loose, natural mound behind the pinks. Phlox Super Ka-Pow™ Lavender carries on from June to August at 45 to 50 cm, echoing the pink in a cooler tone. Along the front, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides spreads low and adds blue flowers from August to October. Pink, lavender and blue give a calm, cottage feel in sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil. Neutral to alkaline soil suits it. Wet winter soil is what kills pinks most often, so add grit to heavy clay or plant on a slight rise. Water regularly through the first season, then only during long dry spells. Shear the spent flowers after the first big flush to tidy the mound and encourage more bloom. Leave the foliage over winter and clean it up in spring. Divide every few years if the centre thins out.

History: 'Paint the Town Fancy' was bred by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, from a 2014 cross between two unnamed breeding selections, and was chosen as a single seedling in 2017. It joined the Paint the Town pinks, a Proven Winners® line known for blue foliage and saturated colour.

Final Thoughts: Line a hot, sunny walkway with a few and let them work the room. THE AFTER PARTY RUNS ALL SEASON.