Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wildflower Wednesday: Phloxy Ladies and Gents 2011

Could be Phlox paniculata 'Orange Perfection'
It's high summer at Clay and Limestone and that means the Phloxy ladies and gents are doing their thing.

What is their thing?

P paniculata 'David'

Looking pretty and

P paniculata sps
Providing nectar and pollen for pollinators during this critical time.

Carpenter Bee robbing the nectar via the tube

Critical time!


Yes, critical! Mid-to-late summer is usually one of the toughest times for nectar and pollen-feeding insects. Plants like phlox are very important producers of nectar and pollen.


That's good to know. Is there anything else you can tell me about phlox?


I'm glad you asked!

Phloxes are native to North America and found growing in diverse habitats from the coldest alpine tundras to prairies, woodlands and meadows. With over 65 different species in North America there are options for many habitats.

Phlox will grow in partial shade or full sun~
Phlox paniculata and Phlox glaberrima are my summer phloxes. Both are naturally occurring in the cooler eastern half of North America. They love moist, well draining, rich soil...What they get here is shallow, dry, clay soil that's been amended with compost, leaf mold and mulch. I do give them a nice big drink if we don't get rain and that keeps them happy. If you can keep them relatively moist and provide decent drainage you'll have good success (hardiness zones 3 to 8) and keep the pollinators well supplied with nectar and pollen.
More robbing!
I count on phlox for weeks and weeks of delightful color. They are easy to grow and require very little maintenance~Just divide every few years. I dead head some of them and let others go to seed. The parent plants will bloom true, but seedlings will be a pleasant surprise of mixed colors. Way back before I knew anything about gardening and way before I figured out how to garden at C&L~summer phlox reigned supreme! I discovered them the first summer after we moved here. Their pretty lilac and pink blooms caught my eye blooming among the shrubs. Luckily for the garden, I knew nothing about deadheading or pinching for more bloom and they seeded all around the yard. Today there are dozens of plantings in shade, part shade and part sun. I've seen bees, moths, butterflies and just last week a hummer nectaring at the magenta/lilac/pinkish flowers!

P paniculata 'David' and unknown mother= A pleasant pinkish surprise.
Isn't this seedling adorable? I need to remember to thank the pollinators!

xxoogail


Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. I am so glad you stopped by. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.
PS The biggest problem I have had with phlox has been an attack of Phlox Bug~a nasty creature that sucks the plant juices and disfigures the plant. I cut the plant back after the first frost and trash the stalks....never composting them. Phlox bug over winters in the stalks and this takes care of most of them. You can read about my battle with them here.



This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape,

36 comments:

  1. Your phlox are lovely. I have some that bloom in the spring.

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  2. Hurrah! I thought I had messed up, doing my first ever Wildflower Wednesday post just when you were up in Seattle. Glad you were on the case despite this, I feel less daft, though my post is about wild wildflowers, if that makes sense...

    As you know you have already converted me to Phlox, they are high on my "must have lots" list for my next garden.

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  3. I LOVE them! They were among my first ever perennials in my first perennial garden, passalongs shared by an elderly neighbor, and I've had phlox in the garden ever since.

    Your photos, as always, are phabulous Gail! The David/unknown mother phlox's color is so sweet!

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  4. I adore phlox and have so much in the garden...unfortunately the deer adore it too and the scoundrels ate some of it so it will not bloom this year...still lots for pollinators if more plants bloom in this drought...

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  5. I love Phlox and you have some pretty ones in your garden. Hope my PPPP looks as good as yours next year. :)

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  6. So pretty :) They're one of the plants I'm looking at for next year! One thing I'm looking for are blooms I can bring inside. How to they do as cut flowers?

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  7. Nice grouping. Like David the best, it's one I grow in my own garden. Thanks for providing WFW.

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  8. I am captivated by 'Orange Perfection'--gorgeous! You convinced me last year that I really needed to add some phlox to my garden, and so I did this spring. They are truly beauties, and I love seeing them bloom this time of year when the coneflowers and daylilies are beginning to fade. Funny that you mentioned the unpredictable offspring--I bought a phlox from a friend who was selling some divisions from her garden along with two other gardeners. When I asked her what kind it was, she assured me it was a white one and probably 'David.' That was just what I wanted, so imagine my surprise when the blooms turned out to be hot pink instead:) Oh well, it's pretty and makes a nice contrast with the 'David's' I already had.

    You have some beauties here, Gail--a nice welcome home for you. Hope you had a great time in Seattle!

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  9. Wonderful pics of your Phlox Gail, I have it everywhere too. Such vibrant colors and sweet smells are always welcome additions. I made it this time! I'm happy to join in!

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  10. I didn't see whodunit, but I have the slitted evidence of nectar thieves.

    Am now on Google+ going to link to this there too.

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  11. I have always looked forward to wildflower Wednesday though never had the courage to post because you are a tough act to follow.
    phlox are a favorite and I love you photos.

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  12. How lucky are we that Phlox paniculata is a native plant? I just love them.

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  13. I am most definately planting more phlox! Have one that survived the move from Racquel....love it!!!

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  14. Gorgeous Pix. I love Phlox n grow them every winters :)

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  15. Great pics of your Phlox, Gail! Everything there is looking lush and green, despite your heat. Hope you enjoyed your cool foray into the PNW.

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  16. Hi Gail, It sounds like the flingers had a good time. One of these years, I'd like to attend one.

    I enjoyed seeing your phlox and pollinator photos and reading about them. I think that is 'Orange Perfection'. I was convinced mine was mislabeled when I saw the blooms, but I looked up images online, and saw that that's what I had. (There is a photo of it in my last post.)

    I went out and took photos of some of my wildflowers this morning, and have my post started, but now that I'm finished eating lunch, I need to do some housework before finishing up the post.

    One of these days, I'm thinking of doing a post on the rabbits' favorite flowers to eat in my garden. Phlox will be in it. I have caged some of mine, and they seem to be recovering, but I don't expect blooms this year.

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  17. I do have some phlox blooms. It's the more native type and smaller ones that are being eaten.

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  18. These are fabulous plants Gail. I love having them in the garden too. I don't remember min ever seeding themselves. hmmmmm Mine do grow to larger clumps. I have divided and moves phlox all over the garden. The pink one does the best for me.

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  19. Hi Gail - love your photos of Phlox nearly as much as I love the plant! Wonderful to meet you in Seattle -

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  20. I'm loving my phlox paniculatas right now. They really carry my front border through the midsummer.

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  21. As always, Gail, outstanding photos! I love my Phlox, too;-) And the wildlife it brings. The deer eat it so I moved it from the road to further up near the house. They still eat it, but I spray Deer Off when I can. It grows right back and re-flowers for me, several times in a season, when they do manage to chew the tender buds off. Thanks for hosting WW.

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  22. I accidentally added the link to YOUR page, first...so if you can delete it go ahead. Otherwise, please read my SECOND attached link;-)

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  23. Phlox doesn't seed quite so rampantly around here as it does for you, but I love collecting colors from other gardeners.

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  24. Were you listening to Hendrix when you wrote this? :-)

    Lovely phlox! My 'David' is so divine this year. The fragrance surprised me. My other phlox were not as great this year, I think they're getting old now and retiring.

    I haven't seen as many seedlings this year since last summer was so brutal...and, this one is shaping up to be as we'll probably hit at temp of 105 on Friday and who knows how high the heat index shall be.

    I'm watching my white boneset--it's getting ready to bloom and I'm so excited about this native eupatorium.

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  25. I love phlox also! The deer apparently love them also... This year they ate them to the ground about the time they were ready to bloom. I'm glad to say they re-grew and are blooming now!

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  26. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  27. lovely blooms! thanks for sharing. happy gardening!

    -angel

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  28. Great blog! I hate to steal the thunder from the "phlox subject" but what is the name of the white plant in the first photo behind the phlox. I live here in VA and I see it on the side of the road but would love to see it in my garden. I thought it was a weed but I guess not if its in your garden! :) Thank you for sharing!!

    Candice

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  29. Love Phlox. I have the white one in my garden, divided several times cause I want more and more of it.

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  30. I love your home-made Phlox seedling! What a lovely colour. Just the sort that I am looking for!

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  31. Anonymous, That is a weed! It's Queen Anne's Lace and I have one or two in the garden~The beneficial insects adore it, but, beware it can be invasive. gail

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  32. perfect... so imazing!!!! thanks a lot, author. i"ve used some info at букмекерские конторы that site.

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  33. Thanks for taking such good care of the pollinators...and thanks for sharing your lovely garden with your readers! Kim

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  34. Ah, Phlox time! Lovely Gail. Wonderful light-filled photos too.

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  35. I love Phlox maybe almost as much as the bees and hummers. Great photos, Gail.

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  36. Beautiful pictures! You're talented!
    K

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson