PHLOX. North America, Siberia. Showy perennials of highly variable size, habit and foliage. All have brightly colored blossoms with the petals spread spoke-like at the end of a narrow tube. Sun, well drained soil, moderate watering except as noted. Hardy to below 0^oF.

carolina. Thick-leaved phlox. A sturdy plant producing several erect 2-3' stems from a woody base. Long, narrow very shiny leaves clothe the stems. Tall stems with tiers of fragrant blossoms rise in repeated waves (if spent clusters are removed) from late spring to fall. ‘Miss Lingard’ has white blossoms, while ‘Rosalinde’ has lavender pink blossoms and darker green leaves. Winter deciduous.

‘Miller’s Hybrid’. This is a bit of a mystery: I find reference to P. x procumbens ‘Miller’s Crimson’, plausible in terms of parentage (stolonifera x subulata), but not in color. The plant in question makes broad mats crowded with narrow, pointed, silvery green leaves. Clustered just above them, often for many weeks in summer, are bright pink 1” flowers, which glisten in the sun.

paniculata. Summer phlox. I was once very enthusiastic about this species—-the plants are robust and generous with their flowers. However, it sulks a bit in coastal climates, contracting mildew and a variety of disfiguring leaf spots. Recently we have tried several cultivars with some alleged resistance to these maladies. All produce several leafy, erect stems–generally around 2’ high, though their height varies considerably. The leaves are up to 4" long, broadly pointed-oval in outline and usually smooth and deep green on their upper surface. The flowers are borne in large, pyramidal clusters. Each is about an inch broad. ‘Mt. Fuji’ was the first cultivar to satisfy our goals. It has very bright, clean foliage and snow-white flowers. ‘David’ is a more recent selection, similar but larger in all of its parts. ‘Eva Cullum’ can grow nearly 3’ high and has very large pyramidal flower clusters. The flowers are bright pink with darker centers. ‘Franz Schubert’ is usually a little smaller and has lilac flowers with a deep red eye. Winter deciduous.

pilosa. Prairie phlox. A rugged, adaptable phlox, brought to us from Texas by Pat McNeal. It grows 1-2’ high, with many slender stems. The leaves are narrow, about 2" long in this form and grey-green in color. Bright lavender-pink blossoms are presented in summer in widely branched clusters. It is moderately drought tolerant and hardy to 0^oF. or a little less.

stolonifera. Creeping phlox. This species spreads by underground rhizomes to make loose mats or mounds, with erect to prostrate stems. It has oval to lance shaped leaves and bears open clusters of (usually) purple to white 1" blossoms above the foliage. ‘Spring Delight’ is an unusual pink flowered selection.

subulata. Moss pink. A matting species with shiny bright green, almost needle-like leaves. It makes a wonderful display of flowers in spring, and sometimes a fair show in fall as well. There are many selections, both named and otherwise. ‘Candystripe’ is a newer clone with gaily colored blossoms, deep pink with white margins. ‘Crimson Beauty’ has dark purplish red blossoms. ‘Emerald Blue’ is an old favorite with large lavender flowers. ‘White Delight’ is exactly what you would suppose, given the name. Plants of this species should never be allowed to dry out.