'Opening Act Romance' Hybrid Phlox
Perennial
- Blooms weeks earlier than other tall garden phlox!
- Fragrant flowers are ideal for cut arrangements.
- Pollinators flock to the flowers.
- It's native, easy to grow, low maintenance, and disease resistant.
- Zones 4-8, sun, 22″ tall x 36" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
'Opening Act Romance' has a unique habit that is nearly dome-like, which looks especially appealing when in bloom. It's easy to grow, disease-resistant, and low maintenance. To enjoy sporadic blooms later in the season, all you have to do is give it a quick trim after the first flush!
Details
Patent #: PP33101
Common name: Hybrid garden phlox
Zone: 4 – 8
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Height x width: 20-22″ tall x 32-36" wide
Flower color: Pink-purple
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Summer to fall
Bloom time: Early summer, midsummer, late summer
Features: Rain gardens, Proven Winners, native, fragrant, container plants, cold tolerant, best for beginners
Uses: Background, border, cottage garden, massing, specimen, wildflower, flower garden, pollinator garden
How to Grow
Light: Phlox grows best in full sun.
Water: Has average water needs.
Spacing: 32 - 36 inches apart
Fertilizing: If desired, apply a minimal amount of all-purpose garden fertilizer around the base of the plant in spring.
Winterizing: Cut foliage in late fall to prevent powdery mildew and other fungal diseases from returning in spring.
Maintenance & pruning: Thin or prune by half in spring and prune spent flowers off after bloom, just above the foliage to encourage more blooms
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
I didn’t expect these to flower this year since I planted them pretty late. Thy arrived packed well, but a little stressed because the journey was about a week during hot summer days.
I left them in the shade for two days and then took them into the new habitat for half a day, and then another full day before I planted them, so they could adjust to the new hot climate in zone 7B. Soon they started growing and flowering.
I ordered six of these and all of them are absolutely gorgeous.
It was healthy upon arrival. Planted it with in a day of receiving and it appears to be growing. No flowers but that was expected this late in the season. Hopefully my romance with this plant will be fulfilled.
Delivery on time and in good condition
The plants were healthy and beautiful, and one began blooming NINE days after I received it!
I had a cart that would not purchase. Saying issue with address, but actually due to state regulations. By the time i learned, this my discounts expired and some items were sold out. I had no intention to then execute the purchase and don't understand how this happened.
Hi Steven, thanks for sharing your experience. This commonly happens when you have an invalid address or plants in your cart that are not able to ship due to state regulations. Please reach out to our friendly customer service team at [email protected]. If you'd like assistance with future orders or if we can help clarify anything. We look forward to helping!
It is a beautiful plant, easy to establish and grow. Butterfly and bee magnet.
'Opening Act Romance' Hybrid Phlox
They were planted about a month ago and are ready to bloom. Thanks for the wonderful service 😀.
I don’t understand why after I planted these all the flowers fell off ? I don’t think they are going to grow I haven’t overwatered them ?
Hello! We're sorry to hear you've had trouble with your plants. Please email pictures of the plants to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible.
Just planted. No review yet. Packaging was very well done. Now grow!
Plants arrived in good shape. However, the plants are smaller than I thought.
i bought 12 of this and they all came in in good condition when they arrived. and I planted them on 8-5-2022 and they all did very well. can't wait and see how they do next year. and i will all ways come back get buy more from Geat Garden Plants.
Not one of them made it here in this Texas heat and that was watering twice a day
Hello! We're so sorry that you had trouble with your plants. Summer is a difficult time to plant in hotter zones. Please email pictures of the plant to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. We can even set up a replacement order to ship out once the weather cools down a bit. Happy Gardening!
The blooms are just now starting to blossom, which is the timeline that I projected (6-8 weeks). I thought that there was going to be more of a spread but I know next year that I need to plant more quarts in the barrell to give it a fuller effect. To alleviate this issue, I planted flowers around it and made it into my thriller plant :). Very pretty color!!!
they died
Hello! We're sorry to hear that you've had trouble with your phlox. Please email pictures of the plant to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
Can you grow them in pots and leave all winter weather. Thank you.
Yes, you can plant 'Opening Act Romance' Hybrid Phlox in a container. The rule of thumb is plants are safe over winter in containers if they are at least 2 zones hardier than your zone. You can also check out our article below for tips on helping your container plants survive the winter:
https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/5-easy-tips-for-protecting-your-potted-plants-this-winter/
Is it invasive
'Opening Act Romance' Hybrid Phlox is not invasive! Most phlox is actually native to North America.
When is the best time to plant phlox?
Hi there! Fall is a fantastic time for planting shrubs, trees, and perennials because the cooler temperatures and shorter days mean less water stress for the plant, and that means less work for you in terms of watering and monitoring your new plants.
Are they deer resistant
Unfortunately, phlox are not very deer resistant so if there's deer in your area they may nibble on your plants. Check out our blog post on what plants to avoid if you have deer and what to plant instead: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/five-plants-to-avoid-if-you-have-deer-and-what-to-plant-instead/
is it an evergreen, not seen in info whether decidious or perenial?
It's a perennial that will go dormant in winter!