As American as firecrackers on the Fourth of July is Phlox paniculata, and a garden full of it blooming is as exciting as the soaring skyrockets the furled buds suggest—or as restful as a hammock in the shade.
Its colors range from the purest white through pink and rose to intense red, from lavender and palest lilac to rich deep plum-purple.
From its spectrum, only yellow and true blue are missing, yet a faint touch of yellow underlies most of the pinks and reds and more than a hint of blue lies behind the lilacs and the purples.
This hardy phlox is a ready demonstrator of the hybridizer’s art. Each year sees at least one superb new family member in the catalogs of those nurseries specializing in perennials.
Old Favorite Nurseries
However, with each new introduction, it seems some old favorite slips into the background and soon becomes unavailable from commercial nurseries.
Mia Ruys, a fairly early fragrant white, 10” inches shorter than the average for its species and therefore delightful for facing down the brighter hues, has all but disappeared from the scene.
The absolutely indispensable, pure white Miss Lingard, whose panicles of blossoms scent the garden from earliest June until mid-October, is sometimes hard to find.
(Strictly speaking, Miss Lingard is a P. suffruticosa but is offered with the P. paniculata in many a catalog, or with P. decussata.)
But aside from these two, whose scarcity is so noticeable because all other white phlox tends to be either mid- or late-season in its first blooming, there is only cause for rejoicing in the cheerful collections offered us today.
Cheerful Collections
Mary Louise (not new at all) and White Admiral (fairly new) are both outstanding whites with beautiful large heads of bloom and profuse flowering periods from July until October.
The really new Snowball equals the other two in every way and may just possibly route them from the lists.
Count Zeppelin and Europa, healthy, vigorous plants whose flowers are pure white with crimson eyes, are rapidly overtaken by the newer Prime Minister.
This eye color tends to fuse through the whole blossom when viewed from a short distance, so such flowers should be valued as a blush rather than white for garden placement.
Whites with blue eyes should be considered lavender for the same reason, as the name of one of the loveliest, Lavender Cloud, suggests.
Among The Pinks
Sir John Falstaff is apt to hold the lead for many a long year among the pinks. The plant itself is robust, vigorous, and hearty.
The flower trusses are big and bold, and the almost 2-inch-diameter florets are a richly luminous salmon color with a deeper, redder eye.
Second, only to Sir John, is Salmon Beauty, the prettiest salmon pinks. Its eye is white, but its color is intensified rather than subdued by the paler center.
Border Queen is a watermelon pink, and the lovely new Windsor is a deep rose pink with a darker eye. Finally, Columbia is the delicate pink of a lovely cameo.
Charles Curtis is pretty much an old-timer among the phlox collections, but its deep, brilliant, intense sunset red has yet to be equaled by any newcomer.
Beautiful Species of Phlox
The new Starfire is a vital, fiery beauty. Brigadier is orange-red, and Leo Schlageter burns with a scarlet flame. All are beautiful and exciting, but Mr. Curtis holds the center of the stage.
The cherry-red Augusta is another long-time favorite whose clear and lovely coloring places it high above any competitors.
And among the lavenders, the lilacs, and the purples that blend so beautifully with their pink relations, there is the clear lilac shading of Lilac Time, the deeper color of Progress, and the plum-colored tones of Aida and Purple Heart.
Most nurserymen offer this phlox in mixed groups of six or ten named varieties for a remarkably low price, making it easy to try them all.
In most flowers, I cherish certain colors or shades to the exclusion of others, but Phlox paniculata runs riot in my beds as a sunset escapes from its moorings.
I grow it in every size, shape, and color, and wherever you look, whether at the landscape or isolated sections of the garden, the picture is pretty, exciting, or restful.
Height of the Species
24” inches is the usual height of this species, though some varieties run from 2’ to 3’ feet.
Unusual is B. Symons-Jeune at 4’ feet and the towering Rosa Spier, which under the most favorable conditions, will produce twelve or fifteen blooming stalks, each rising to a height of 5’ or 6’ feet.
But whatever its height and color, Phlox paniculata grows sturdy and strong stems, foliage substantial and clean, and long and vigorous roots, except in the case of Columbia, whose stems, unfortunately, are not so strong as those of the rest of the family.
Needs Staking or Support
Phlox never needs to be staked or supported in any way unless its massive panicles are caught by heavy rain or a lashing wind at the height of its June and July blooming.
If that misfortune strikes, the phlox must be supported until its heavy heads fade and are removed.
Usually, for its two or three months of subsequent bloom, it will regain its strength and hold itself erect.
Purchase your named varieties of Phlox paniculata from a reputable nursery either in spring or fall.
Supply of Water
When your plants arrive, set them into deeply spaded earth that has been enriched with good compost and well-rotted or dried manure.
And never set them less than 15” inches apart. Plenty of room to stretch and grow, plus good air circulation about their leaves will prevent mildew.
A plentiful water supply in a well-drained location will help your phlox ward off their other enemy, the red spider mite. But never water them from above.
Phlox paniculata should be divided every three or four years in early September to maintain young and healthy stock and keep the flower panicles large.
44659 by Mary Mcfarland Leister