Southern Blaze Bright Pink phlox is coming next year and with it brings a "Touch of Texas." It will do its part to make sure your neighbors don’t "out phlox" you when it comes to garden flowers. It is indeed a phlox that you will immediately feel is special, even refreshing with a touch of nostalgia.

There is nothing more nostalgia than being a native to Texas. While you may think of Texas as being known for bluebonnets and paintbrush, it is also known for a phlox, Phlox drummondii. It is named for Thomas Drummond, a Scottish naturalist who was collecting and sending seeds back to Europe the year before the Battle of the Alamo.

Though I live in Georgia, I was born and raised in Texas. I am proud to say I am a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. I can assure you that as you are walking through the wilds of Texas and feeling mesmerized by the wildflowers, it will be this phlox that stops you in your tracks.

Because of Thomas Drummond, Europe fell in love with our phlox, and it became a garden staple for more than 150 years. Next year thanks to Proven Winners Southern Blaze Bright Pink, a Phlox drummondii will be given a much-needed shot in the arm. This is a big shot too, as the Intensia series is now the Southern Blaze with four colors: Blueberry, Red Hot, White and the star of this column, Bright Pink.

These four colors are a good representation of what you might find hiking the open Texas scenery. Twenty years ago, when I was an extension horticulturist for Mississippi State University and coordinator for the Mississippi Medallion Award Program, the Intensia series, now the Southern Blaze series, stole everyone’s heart at the Mid-South Greenhouse Growers Conference tour of the trials.

It wasn’t just that meeting in June either, as they continued to wow even in October when the Fall Flower and Garden Fest was held at the same location. In other words, this annual phlox can bloom from spring till frost.

Southern Blaze Bright Pink will reach 8 to 10 inches tall with a spread of 10 to 16 inches. I have always used this phlox in the border with salvias, verbenas and carex grasses, but my eyes have been opened to their uses as component plants in mixed containers.

Southern Blaze Bright Pink is, as the name says, a bright and cheerful hot pink, and each blossom has a dark burgundy red star with white rays in the center. I planted mine in mixed containers with this year’s hot new Supertunia Tiara Blue and Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow petunias.

In another container I paired Southern Blaze Bright Pink phlox with Whirlwind White scaevola, Laguna Royal Azure lobelia and Graceful Grasses Queen Tut papyrus.

James Winter and the Eden Estate Management team took a window box upscale using Southern Blaze Bright Pink phlox with Supertunia Saffron Finch petunia, Laguna Royale Lilac lobelia, Whirlwind White scaevola, ColorBlaze Mini Me Chartreuse coleus and Graceful Grasses Queen Tut papyrus.

Southern Blaze Bright Pink like its other phlox cousins needs sunlight and good drainage to perform its best. You will also be delighted to know that it will attract butterflies too.

Next year promises to be beautiful and exciting with new flowers. Put Southern Blaze Bright Pink at the top of your list as well as the other colors in the series, Blueberry, White and Red Hot.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

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