You have heard or perhaps even said something like, "Wow, he caught lightning in a bottle." It may now be said, "Boy, they caught lightning in that phlox." You will see what I mean if you try the new Luminary Pink Lightning phlox coming out in 2025.

The Luminary series already has Opalescence, a light pink tall garden phlox that is indeed the shade of a rare opal. Then this year Luminary Prismatic Pink made its debut with bubblegum pink blooms with dark pink eyes, a real stunner.

So when I heard that there was a new Luminary Pink Lightning, my first thought was, "We already have two pink, tall garden phlox, why do we need another?" Now every day I look as if I am in a trance. I find myself muttering something like, "How can it be this beautiful?" Plus, I’m a flaming orange guy!

Proven Winners describe the blooms as a bright true pink with a central white starburst. Balderdash, it is way more beautiful than that! I’m just kidding, sort of; believe me when I say this phlox does everything but glow in the dark.

One thing that Proven Winner confirmed in my thoughts was that the individual blooms are the largest in the Luminary series. So just imagine panicles of large blooms borne on stems reaching 30 to 36 inches in height.

I am growing mine in various partnerships just to see how they perform together from the aspect of color. I suppose in reality they were no-brainers, and I should have pushed the envelope. The first combination I will give a shoutout to is Tuscan Sun heliopsis. Gold definitely creates a strong marriage, so you have a lot of choices from perennials to annuals.

The second shoutout goes to Rockin Playin’ The Blues salvia. All blue flowers will dazzle with the Luminary Pink Lightning phlox. So consider planting informal sweeps or drifts with Pink Lightning, Rockin Playin’ The Blues salvia and Tuscan Sun heliopsis for a dreamy perennial display that will quickly turn into a pollinator habitat.

The last combo I want to tout, you may guess, is with chartreuse. In one area I used it with ColorBlaze Lime Time coleus, and in the backyard, I used it with the new ColorBlaze Mini Me chartreuse coleus. Chartreuse lets the Pink Lightning be even more electrifying.

Luminary Pink Lightning is, botanically speaking, a Phlox paniculata. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center states they are native to 36 states and found in rich open woods, thickets, meadows and moist roadsides. In other words, no magic to growing it: fertile moist soil and sun, but most importantly, willing gardeners. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds will be additional rewards.

With a native range of 36 states this means a wide hardiness zone range from 3a to 8b. This includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina in the hot and humid South. We grew tall garden phlox beautifully in the cottage garden at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden in Savannah.

Fall is a great time to plant perennials. This allows them to get established before the onset of winter. The problem is of course finding your supply. But if you don’t get lucky now, spring is coming in addition to the great new Luminary Pink Lightning tall garden phlox.

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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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