PHLOX REDUX
Sometimes you have to recognize the obvious, and in my case right now, the obvious is tall garden phlox. I see it everywhere I go. The other day I visited a historic garden in the midst of renovation. Clouds of blossoming phlox dominated the old kitchen garden. Closer to home, I varied the route of my usual daily walk and discovered several front yard landscapes dominated by multi-colored phlox. This morning when I opened one of my standard garden reference books, the first page I hit was “Phlox.”
It is obviously time to invest in some phlox.
The phlox in question is Phlox paniculata, a North American native that occurs naturally from New York State south to Georgia and as far west and south as Illinois and Arkansas. Like most other popular natives, it has been greatly improved by hybridizers. In the garden the plants are hard to miss, as they grow 2 to 4 feet tall, with elongated, alternate leaves and glowing, five-petaled flowers in shades ranging from white to deep rose and red, with lots of cultivars in the lavender/purple/blue-purple range. There are even orange cultivars, though they never look like real phlox to me. Phlox probably works best in a loose, old-fashioned cottage garden. Happy phlox form sturdy, fragrant clumps that are truly impressive when they bloom in mid August. In my experience, people who simply direct landscaping crews to install certain plants in certain places rarely install phlox. People who plant their own gardens, by contrast, often have at least a few specimens.
American settlers no doubt encountered wild Phlox paniculata shortly after arriving on this continent. By the early eighteenth century, it had traveled to England and in 1730; it was reportedly blooming there in the garden of Dr. James Sherrard, apothecary and plant collector. The first written description of Phlox paniculata by an American was made by Philadelphia nurseryman and plant collector John Bartram in 1737. The species still blooms today in Bartram’s restored garden. By the mid to late nineteenth century, there were over 800 named selections of phlox on the market. When I think about that, I am astounded by the plethora of available choices, but also wonder if some of those 800 varieties looked so similar that they were indistinguishable from each other.
Horticultural historian Maggie Campbell-Culver, writing in her book “The Origin of Plants,” says that late summer blooming phlox “give an added touch of joie de vivre to our gardens.” I couldn’t agree more and looking at my garden, which is singularly lacking in joie de vivre at the moment, I see that I committed large scale sins of omission when I neglected to install masses of garden phlox long ago.
Phlox fit right in with the asters that are just starting to bloom as the phlox conclude their run. Tall asters are about the same height as tall phlox and the white-pink-blue-purple color scheme matches as well. Combining phlox and asters in one bed is a good way to ensure an ongoing supply of late summer color. The plants also work well in the company of butterfly bushes and white or blue veronica.
The words “powdery mildew” strike fear in the hearts of many phlox lovers, as phlox is very susceptible to the fungus disease that turns the foliage powdery white. Powdery mildew thrives in the hot sticky conditions under which many of us spend our summers. The best way to fight it is to water early in the day so that plants have a chance to dry off before nightfall. Good air circulation among plants also helps. However, the best thing you can do is buy varieties that have at least some resistant to the disfiguring ailment.
I love ‘David’, a tall white-flowered phlox that is purported to be mildew resistant. It is so lovely and hardy that the Perennial Plant Association, a trade group, named ‘David’ the PPA “Plant of the Year” in 2002. Some phlox sport petals with an. “eye” in the center whose color contrasts with the petals’ main hue. ‘Bright Eyes’ has pale pink petals with a darker pink eye zone. ‘Elizabeth’ is a pink-flowered cultivar with the added attraction of variegated foliage. Small space gardeners or those who plant in containers will be attracted to dwarf varieties like the mildew resistant ‘White Flame’ or the white-eyed ‘Pinafore Pink’. Though 800 varieties no longer clog the market, there are still many, many Phlox paniculata to choose from.
Phlox is a sun lover and while it grows in just about any soil, it does better in rich, well-amended earth. To prolong its season of bloom deadhead the top flower panicles promptly when the petals fall. This encourages side shoots to produce more flowers.
You may be able to find potted Phlox paniculata in your favorite garden center, if that retailer restocks perennials for fall planting. If not, try ForestFarm, 990 Tetherow Road, Williams, OR 97544; (541) 846-7269, www.forestfarm.com. The initial catalog costs $5.00, but subsequent editions will be sent free of charge. Bluestone Perennials also has a good selection. Fine them at 7211 Middle Ridge Road, Madison, OH 44057, (800) 852-5243, www.bluestoneperennials.com. Free catalog.