Experienced gardeners know that descriptions of flower color should be taken with a grain of salt. How many times have we ordered a plant described as "blue," only to find that it was, in fact, purple or lavender, or even pink. A good example of this is any Daylily, Rose or Tulip with the word "blue" in the name.
Late last summer I bought Phlox paniculata 'Nicky' at a garden center because it was on sale. It was already in bloom, so I knew what it looked like. When I got home with it, I decided to find out more about it, whether it was mildew prone, how tall it gets, etc. I was so surprised by its description as "dark purple." It looked magenta to me. This year, when it bloomed, I started noticing that the color looked different throughout the day. Finally, I saw it looking "dark purple": the first thing in the morning, after a cool night. I have never seen a flower that was not fading or aging demonstrate such a dramatic change of color. So here, without further ado, I present 'Nicky.'
