Stunning Phlox Varieties: Explore These Attractive Choices for Flower Beds, Edges, Ground Cover, and Potted Arrangements
Pickin' the Right Phlox for Your Garden
- Phloxes have a charm that draws both gardeners and visitors with their vibrant hues and captivating appeal. Whether landscaped or in a container, these beauties sure know how to turn heads!
There are more than sixty phlox species native to North America, each having its own quirks. Here, we'll delve into the fascinating traits of these varieties to help you find the perfect phloxes for your garden.
Navigating Phloxes for Your Garden Haven
Phlox species can vary significantly in terms of growth habits, cultural requirements and more. To make the best choice, it's essential to consider aspects such as light needs, temperature and soil preferences, size at maturity, and bloom period.
Though many phlox varieties will return annually, several charming ones can be found amongst the most popular ones home gardeners can cultivate:
Garden Phlox
Phlox paniculata species, or Garden phloxes, offer a vertical flair to gardens and container plantings, thriving in the sun. These plants bear large clusters of showy flowers atop their stems, which can reach up to 4 feet (1.2 m) tall.
- 'Amethyst Pearl' – This variety is prized for its small, amethyst-pink flower clusters. Garden Phlox like 'Amethyst Pearl' performs reliably and grows vigorously through USDA zone 4.
- 'Blue Paradise' – Treasured for its vibrant color and dramatic foliage, 'Blue Paradise' has lavender-blue blooms perched high, contrasting nicely with their green-purple stems. Some gardeners note the plant's color-changing characteristic, depending on light.
- 'Norah Leigh' – Adored for its variegated foliage, 'Norah Leigh' grows pinkish-white blooms, offering additional interest to garden beds and containers.
- 'Red Riding Hood' – Known for its immense aroma, 'Red Riding Hood' features deep red flower clusters, adding value to any summer color palette.
- 'Ultraviolet' – 'Ultraviolet' stands out due to its striking magenta hues, which seem to "glow" on especially sunny days, attracting an array of pollinators with ease.
Creeping Phlox
Creeping phlox is a hassle-free groundcover ideal for all garden sizes. It looks magical in the spring, draping over walls, filling barren patches in beds, or spilling from container plantings.
- 'Amazing Grace' – Also known as moss phlox or "thrift", creeping varieties are spectacular for their low-growing habit. 'Amazing Grace' phlox boasts pure white blooms, excellent as a groundcover.
- 'Apple Blossom' – 'Apple Blossom' phlox thrives well for both the home landscape and containers, quickly filling and cascading from pots during the summer. Gardeners can expect large numbers of white flowers with a pink center.
- 'Candy Stripe' – praised for its unique patterned white-pink blossoms and prolific bloom, 'Candy Stripe' offers a veritable carpet of appealing color throughout beds.
- 'Drummond's Pink' – Ideal for use in full sun with beds receiving at least 6-8 hours of direct light each day, 'Drummond's Pink' produces large numbers of beautiful flowers high above the foliage, attracting numerous pollinators.
- 'Eye Candy' – Its dramatic lavender-blue flowers, combined with a deeply colored center, make creeping phlox variety 'Eye Candy' a charming choice for containers or mixed beds.
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata, or Woodland phlox, is native to the eastern U.S., and thrives in shaded conditions. These woodland species make great companions to various other spring-blooming species.
- 'Blue Moon' – Native wildflowers like 'Blue Moon' woodland phlox are an excellent addition to naturalized spaces, especially those that receive shade.
- 'Clouds of Perfume' – 'Clouds of Perfume' woodland phlox adds both color and fragrance to the early spring garden, with blooms held high above the foliage, attracting numerous pollinators with their lavender hues.
- 'May Breeze' – Popular white flowering phlox varieties, 'May Breeze' can withstand heavy blooms, even when some may droop. Plants grow quickly, exhibiting lush mounds that attract numerous early-season pollinators.
Spotted Phlox
Phlox maculata, or Spotted phlox, which bears tiny purple spots on stems and autumn blooms, attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies.
- 'Alpha' – Although it does not typically demonstrate the same spread as other phlox varieties, 'Alpha' phlox can bloom atop slender stems. It is more tolerant of powdery mildew and is best suited to wildflower beds and other naturalized spaces.
- 'Omega' – 'Omega' offers resistance to diseases and grows its blossoms high above its foliage. White flowers dotted with a deeper pink center are found in this cultivar, growing hardy through USDA zones 3-9.
Prairie Phlox
Phlox pilosa, also known as downy phlox due to its fine white hairs that cover stems, leaves, and flower parts, makes an excellent addition to prairie gardens, meadows, or backyard pollinator gardens.
- 'Bonnie's Pink' – Ideal for backyard pollinator gardens, 'Bonnie's Pink' offers deep pink blossoms with a rich and alluring fragrance. It thrives in rich, fertile soil and performs best under ample light and moisture, rewarding gardeners with spectacular summer displays.
Diversifying your home-and-garden lifestyle with phloxes can lead to an enchanting spectrum of colors in your garden. By choosing between Garden Phlox, Creeping Phlox, Woodland Phlox, Spotted Phlox, and Prairie Phlox, you can create a unique blend to suit your home-and-garden preferences, whether it's the towering 'Red Riding Hood' Garden Phlox, the low-growing 'Amazing Grace' Creeping Phlox, or the fragrant 'Clouds of Perfume' Woodland Phlox. Each species offers its own charm, catering to various sunlight and temperature requirements, making it easier than ever to bring a breathtaking phlox garden to life.
