Botanical/Latin
Phlox
Pronunciation
Flox
Common Name
Garden Phlox
Hardiness zone range
4 - 8
General Comments
Marvelous clump forming perennials with highly colorful, dome shaped heads of
fragrant flowers carried on stiff, upright stems during the summer months.
Uses
Traditional favorites in cottage
gardens and perennial borders, they make an
equally wonderful contribution to modern beds and
garden layouts. The kaleidoscope of color and the
sweet spicy fragrance add a special dimension to
the experience of gardening. Whether used en
masse in long sweeping borders, island beds, or
mixed with shrubs and conifers, they provide such
a valuable effect, it is hard to imagine a garden
without at least some of them adding to the
summer color. Hummingbirds and butterflies love to
visit them and they are excellent cut
flowers.
Light Preference
Full sun
Culture
They grow best in rich fertile
soils that do not dry out in summer. At planting
time, it is a good idea to add extra organic
matter (compost, peat, manure, etc.) to help
retain moisture in the soil. Applying a mulch
after planting and light applications of a well
balanced fertilizer in early spring, also help to
keep them strong and vigorous.
After flowering, trim back the spent flower
stalks; this encourages re-growth and renewed
flowering. When clumps become overcrowded, they
should be lifted and divided.
The old
problem of powdery mildew (a white powdery
deposit on leaves) is much reduced with the
selection of modern hybrids that have been
specifically bred to resist the unsightly
appearance. While spraying with fungicides will
control it, good cultural practices also help. For
instance, ensure good air circulation by planting
at a generous spacing (at least 18 inches), and if
they need to be watered, try to do it early in the
morning or use a soaker hose to keep the foliage
dry. At the end of the growing season, remove the
old leaves and stalks; this helps to prevent carry
over and re-infection.
Background
Tradescant the younger visited
the "the new world" three times between 1637
-1654. He is thought to have discovered the first
plants of this new genus, and since they had red
flowers, early botanical scholars used a Greek
word, Phlox meaning "flame", to describe
them.
There are about 60 species spread
across North America, ranging from low growing
mountain dwellers, to tall leafy ones that grow in
rich, fertile, alluvial soils. It is from these
that modern tall Garden Phlox cultivars are
descended. During the 1730's, John Bartram sent
Phlox paniculata and P. maculata to Peter
Collinson at the Chelsea Physic garden in London.
One hundred years later in 1839, a Frenchman
called Lierval began intensively breeding them.
Fueled by the strong demand for new and unusual
hardy perennials, others in England, Holland and
Germany continued the work by using other
species to introduce new selections with increased
color range, times of flowering, and improved
growth characteristics. Modern selections have
taken this a stage further with increased disease
resistance and ease of culture among the desired
characteristics. We list the ones that we have
found to be the most adaptable and reliable in our
eastern gardening zones.
Splendor Suggestions
Consider planting your favorite
cultivars in a separate cutting garden area; the
gorgeous colors and fragrances can then be
enjoyed indoors without having to sacrifice them
from the beds and borders. When cutting them,
they are best harvested early in the morning, when
about half the flowers on each head are open.
Adding floral preservative to the water and
keeping them in a cool place, will usually mean
they last up to a week.
Companion Plants
They combine well in borders
with Asters, Leucanthemums, Lavandulas,
Dianthus, Echinops, and Veronicas. Silvery grasses
like Panicum `Cloud Nine' or `Prairie Sky' make
nice "spiky" partners; Helictotrichon and the
smaller Festuca `Glauca' give the same effect on a
smaller scale.
In mixed plantings, try them
with Buddleias and Vitex; the dark purple foliaged
cultivars of Cotinus or Berberis are a nice back
drop for white, pink, or reds ones.