Date: Fri 28-Jun-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-10

Quick Words:

Suburban-Gardener-Phlox

Full Text:

(Suburban Gardener column on Phlox, 6/28/96)

Suburban Gardener-

Meet An Indispensable Genus

By Anthony C. Bleach

The University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extensive Service has a newsletter

called Hort Notes . This month it had a terrific article by Deborah Swanson on

an indispensable genus: Phlox from the Greek for "flame." This alludes to the

flower; perhaps describing its energy, power, brilliance of color.

Most available species are native to North America and many are native to the

eastern United States. They prefer a well drained, humus-enriched soil.

Generally, tall species do best in full sun, whereas the low growing types

prefer light or dappled shade.

A very popular ground cover for woodland gardens, although it seems to be

vigorous even in the full sun of a summer southern aspect, is Phlox

stolonifera , Creeping Phlox. It spreads by stolons, producing mats of shiny

foliage which is evergreen. Then in the spring, one-inch flowers cover the

plant as thick as snow until June.

"Sherwood Purple" has purple/blue flowers; "Blue Ridge" is blue/lilac. There

is also "Pink Ridge," and "Bruce's White" has a white flower with a yellow

eye.

A patch of mine, which I think is "Sherwood Purple," was destroyed by road

salt. I will have to be careful to match up the replacement. Slight color

variations with these bright colors can make you wince.

Another low growing, but this time vastly under utilized, spring blooming

phlox is P. divaricata , Woodland Phlox, but sometimes named P. canadensis .

These spread by underground stems or rhizomes, and are great in a mixed border

under such plants as redbud, dogwoods, rhododendrons and Clethra.

Like Creeping Phlox, P. divaricata prefers partial shade. One and one-half

inch flowers are produced in clusters on stems 12 to 15 inches high.

Interesting cultivars include "Dirgo Ice," which has pale flowers that fade to

white; "Fuller's White" is very floriferous and is clear with notched petals;

and the variety "laphamil" has dark blue flowers.

Amos Pettingill wrote twenty years about that the backbone of the perennial

border was the tall garden phlox which can provide flowers from mid-summer to

September if you pick your varieties. Tall phlox prefer sun. They must be

deadheaded religiously to prolong bloom and prevent self seeding.

Powdery mildew is a hazard which can be lessened by giving space around

plants; planting close to a wall will increase the chance of the fungus, for

example. Also be careful to water the roots and not the leaves.

P. maculata begins blooming with fragrant flowers in early summer on sturdy

stems two to three feet high. The best news is that it is very resistant to

the dreaded mildew and has excellent cultivars.

The most favored by Amos Pettingill is "Miss Lingard," a plant he describes as

"a lovely white that flowers in June and July, and often repeats if

deadheaded. It has been in commerce for more than eighty years, a tribute to

its quality."

There is also "Omega," with white flowers and lilac eyes; "Alpha," lilac pink

with a darker eye; and "Rosalinde," in dark pink. The most popular is P.

paniculata , whose "rich and fragrant blooms offer a marvelous range of

colors. It is rare to find a design that can't be improved by the addition of

a few of these glorious plants." "David" is pure white; "Eva Cullum" is clear

pink with a red eye; and "Franz Schubert" is lilac with a unique star-shaped

eye. It is a good companion for blue, whites and pale yellows. It is a

selection from the renowned English nurseryman, Alan Bloom. Best of all they

have very good resistance to mildew.

Amos Pettingill writes for the incomparable White Flower Farm Garden Book.

(Anthony C. Bleach coordinates the horticulture degree program at Naugatuck

Valley Community-Technical College in Waterbury.)