Phlox, “flower of flame,” shows its widest array of brilliant colors in the species paniculata—the garden phlox of the summer months.
An American native, growing in woods from Pennsylvania to Florida and west to Kansas, it has, in the wild, flowers of white, pinkish-lavender, and reddish-purple (often called magenta).
In Country’s History
Very early in this country’s history, specimens of this wild beauty were sent to England, probably from the Virginia colony, where phlox was called sawpit flower. Phlox paniculata is listed in England as early as 1700.
It is unsurprising to know that phlox is one of several American natives that has been hybridized chiefly by Britons and Europeans.
It wasn’t until about 1850 that phlox was considered seriously by American plantsmen and gardeners.
While a few varieties of some merit appeared in America during the next 30 years, phlox colors remained much the same, though petal size was enlarged and petal shape improved.
When Lemoine in France and Pfitzer in Germany started working with Phlox paniculata, fine varieties began appearing in various colors.
Hybridized New Varieties Coming
Nowadays, the new varieties are coming chiefly from England, hybridized by such men as B. H. B. Symons-Jeune and H. J. Jones and from The Netherlands, hybridized by H. Ruys.
These newcomers have been bred for big florets, huge bloom heads, fine colors, and, what are more important to most gardeners, sturdy, disease-resistant plants.
Some varieties like Charles Curtis, Harvest Fire, Marie Louise, and American Beauty are particularly likely to be immune to mildew, a disease that attacks phlox.
Selecting Varieties
When selecting varieties to bloom in your garden, consider blooming time and height in addition to disease resistance.
There are early-flowering, midseason, and late varieties, so choose some of each for all-summer bloom. Select tall phlox for the background and the dwarf for the foreground.
Think, too, of color schemes before you buy. The white-flowered phloxes combine, of course, with blooms of any color.
The so-called blues keep their color best and look prettiest when grown in the shade, either alone or with white-flowered varieties.
As To The Myriad Reds
At the outset, the gardener should decide to plant phloxes that have colorings on the orange side of red or on the blue side of red and stick to this decision.
All shades on one side or the other will blend—it is only when one tries to combine orange-reds and blue-reds that the color scheme becomes a color scream. Something to be avoided.
Varieties Resistant To Phlox Disease
As mentioned before, some varieties are resistant to mildew, the prime disease of phlox; some are not.
Mildew can be avoided by planting phlox in a breezy spot where dampness does not collect and allowing ample room around each plant for air circulation.
If, however, your plants show the slightest sign of gray-white, felty coating, use karathane immediately.
The other phlox trouble, often considered a disease, is blight or rust. Lower leaves turn brown and die.
This is, however, because old stems don’t have enough conducting tissues to transfer nutrients and water. Cut old stems at ground level in the fall and burn them to control this trouble.
When leaves turn yellow or brownish, no disease is at fault. Red spider mites are at work. Therefore, these are not insects and cannot be controlled by insecticides. Use a miticide or use malathion, and they’ll soon disappear.
Spots on phlox leaves, stems wilting or distorted flowers are the work of one or another of the insects which attack phlox. Malathion and methoxychlor will control all of them.
Despite troubles, and your plants won’t have most of them, phlox is one of our most gorgeous perennials. Not only that, it blooms when good color is scarce. But the best is yet to come.
While In The Netherlands
In September 1956, my husband and I were in Europe. At Wisley, the trial garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, I saw the phlox trials, which, according to my guide, included varieties from England’s foremost hybridizers.
The florets were huge, the heads immense, and the colors ranged deeper and wider than in phlox varieties we now have in this country.
Mr. Ruys, who owns Royal Moerheim Nursery, showed us his bed of seedling phlox. It was a dull, chilly day with a leaden sky, but the phlox colors were dazzling even without sunlight. Wonderful varieties will be coming from this breeder.
So much impressed was I by Mr. Ruys’ phlox that, when we were on the plane flying home, my husband teasingly asked, “Of all the plants you saw, which would you most like to have in our garden?” I answered unhesitatingly, “Mr. Ruys’ phlox bed.”
Image/s (Page 39)
PHLOX AT RIGHT—medium pink, below, Africa; light pink, Daily Sketch and red, at the top, Leo Schlageter.
44659 by Isabel Zucker