Phlox

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.