Phlox

Maybe Phlox is common in the Midwest or East. But in SoCal it is rarely seen. Maybe that's why I love mine so much! This white flowered sweetly scented herbaceous perennial is called Phlox paniculata 'David'. I used to have a client named Betty Wall who would mail order plants often. She liked her plants tidy and small so I was always dividing her Iris, Asters, Mums, Phlox, etc. And she'd let me take some home. I got this Phlox from her. I've read that some Phlox are tempermental and mildew prone. P. David is super easy and disease free. It comes into flower on 12-14" stems in August. Each stem then begins to look like the flowers are spent. But in a week or so a second set of blooms come from that same stem. In winter the stems turn brown and need to be cut to the ground. In Spring new growth starts low. And when summer rolls around again so do the blooms. My client Betty Wall died about 4 years ago. I still think of her and smile when I see this Phlox in bloom. I can't wait to plant it in the ground in Oct when my garden is ready and look forward to dividing it to make more in a year or so.