Fashionably Early Princess Phlox

If you can’t wait for the phlox season to begin, plant the Fashionably Early Princess Phlox. This hybrid variety starts blooming at the beginning of summer, and keeps going for weeks, as well as often sending out new flowers in the fall. That isn’t the only difference from your old phlox, because this one is highly resistant to that unsightly powdery mildew, and grows as a slowly spreading group of stems, not a tight clump like the paniculata ones do. So it needs no staking, and grows almost to 3 feet tall, making it great to use in the middle of a perennial bed, or for edging beds of larger shrubs. It is also perfect for a modern meadow garden, slowly spreading among grasses, and for edging paths and patios too. The large clusters of flowers are a beautiful soft, fuchsia pink color, with a dark-pink ‘eye’ in the center of each one. The clean, glossy foliage is a rich green, with more slender, longer leaves than seen in non-hybrid phlox

• Early blooming, from the start of summer, with reblooming in fall
• Elegant soft, fuchsia-pink flowers with a dark eye
• Excellent resistance to powdery mildew, keeping the leaves fresh and clean
• Medium-sized plant, to 3 feet, great for smaller gardens
• A magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies

The Fashionably Early Princess Phlox enjoys growing in full sun, and in hotter zones it will appreciate a little shade from the afternoon sun. Plant it in soil that is well-drained but moist, and that you have improved by adding some rich compost to it. Grows best in spots that are not too dry or too wet. Mulch will help converse water, and keep the soil moist, with watering if necessary, while the flower buds are developing and during blooming. You won’t need to stake it, and all you need to do is to cut down the stems in late fall, once the leaves yellow. Cut them to 1 or 2 inches tall, remove the dead leaves and stems, and cover the whole plant with an inch of rich compost – new shoots push up through it in spring.