Pink Flame Phlox

To brighten your garden in summer and early fall, nothing beats the garden phlox. Bred from a native meadow plant, these colorful perennials used to be plagued with unsightly powdery mildew, but no longer – new varieties, like the Pink Flame Garden Phlox, are highly resistant, and its glossy leaves stay fresh and clean all season long. Growing just under 18 inches tall, it doesn’t need staking, and makes a colorful mound of gorgeous pink from mid-summer right into the fall. It is perfect for keeping your perennial garden colorful when most other plants are finished, and is a great companion for cone flowers and sedums. You can also grow it in the front of shrub beds for late color, and in meadow gardens too. Its compact size makes it ideal for pots and planters as well, mixed with other perennials, small shrubs, or annual flowers.

• Begins to flower in mid-summer and continues into fall
• Bright and beautiful heads of rich-pink flowers
• Compact size and strong stems means no staking needed
• Good resistance to powdery mildew, so it stays clean all season
• Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden

Plant your Pink Flame Phlox in full sun, although in hot areas it will enjoy the cool of some afternoon shade. Plant it in a rich, moist soil that is well-drained. It grows well in alkaline soils too. Avoid spots that are very dry, and also ones that are very wet – balance is always good. Keep your plant moist during summer with a rich mulch of compost that will also feed it. Water as needed if the soil begins to dry. The leaves stay clean because it is resistant to powdery mildew (which causes white areas on the leaves), so it always stays green and fresh. No staking is needed. Cut back the stems in fall, once the leaves begin to yellow, to just an inch or two tall. This is also the best time to mulch, covering the whole plant with an inch or so of rich compost – new spring shoots will push up right through it.