Wildflower Wednesday: Summer Phlox

I count on the different species of Phlox for several seasons of delightful color starting in early spring.

Right now Summer Phlox is blooming in various shades of pink and magenta.

There are even a few of the white flowered 'David',

a lovely striped 'Peppermint Twist' that wants to revert to a favorite parent color, and

a newer cultivar, 'Jeana' that is an absolute delight. I am not alone in thinking she's a marvelous addition to the garden, every Swallowtail in the neighborhood has stopped by for nectar.

The first Phloxes in this garden were here when I arrived. They were the offspring of whatever the previous gardeners might have planted 30+ years ago and were all wonderful magenta flowered beauties. They are still here, well, the offspring of the offspring are still here and after years of letting species and cultivars go to seed, real treasures have been produced in the crossings of the crossings.

a crossing produced this gentle pink

 What do you think of these two very different pinks? (photos above and below) I adore them and, in case you wondered when I would get around to pollinators, they love them, too.

This is a luscious color

Speaking of pollinators. Carpenter bees are frequent phlox visitors, but, their big bodies makes it hard to fit into the flowers so they will drill or cut into the corolla of the phlox to get at the nectar.

look out for the nectar robbers

They are cheating the pollination process when they get the nectar without a pollen transfer! They're robbing the nectar, but there's still plenty for other pollinator visitors.

Butterflies, moths (including Hummingbird and Sphinx moths) and skippers are the primary pollinators of phlox. Their proboscis are long enough to reach the nectar at the base of the narrow phlox corolla and pollen is carried to the next flower.  

Phlox has all the characteristics of a classic butterfly nectar flower.

• clustered flowers with a landing platform
• brightly colored
• open during the day
• ample nectar producer 
• nectar deeply hidden in corolla

If you want to attract butterflies, moths, skippers and other pollinators to your garden then plant more phlox! That's what I've been doing. Phlox paniculata 'Jeana' was planted this spring and I have every intention of planting more of that cultivar. She rocks as a butterfly magnet. You can find species Phlox paniculata at many native plant nurseries including GroWild here in Middle Tennessee or from mail order nurseries like Prairie Moon.

Hummingbird clearwing moth

 If you want to see what kind of offspring you can get from all the cross pollination that will be happening, then don't deadhead your plants, let them go to seed and self sow. The parent plants always bloom true, but seedlings will be a pleasant surprise of mixed colors for your garden.

Have fun out there and keep cool!
Happy Wildflower Wednesday
xoxogail

The particulars
Type:  Herbaceous
Sun Exposure:  Full Sun to partial Shade
Bloom Color: Jewel box of colors
Bloom Time:  Mid Summer to late Summer/Early Fall
Hardiness: From Minneapolis to the Gulf Coast. They've escaped from gardens and naturalized
Wildlife Value: This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies, moths and skippers
Flowers: Fragrant
Water Needs: Water regularly, good drainage
Soil: Rich, moist, well draining. Enrich clay soil with humus and compost.
Care: Divide occasionally. Phlox are susceptible to mildew and phlox bugs make sure they have good air movement and each fall, after the first killing frost cut it to the ground and trash the cuttings, this will keep the mold spores in check since they can over winter in the stalks as well as  eliminating any phlox bugs that might be over wintering in the stalks. 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday.  This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. It doesn't matter if we sometimes share the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most.



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.