Recently I was given the task of writing a garden piece on the topic of what I wish I had. Sounds like a writer trap, doesn’t it? Though I am still writing that piece, I will tell you I wish I had planted more Luminary phlox last spring.
The Luminary series of garden phlox made its debut with three colors: Opalescence, Ultraviolet and Backlight, which is white. While I was dawdling around, others were getting the plants. The competition is even more so on first-year plants as there is typically not enough. I would urge you to be ready come spring or even line up sources now.
We call it the Phlox paniculata, garden phlox or summer phlox, but the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says it is fall phlox. Did you know it was native to 36 states? This is a must-have plant in the summer sunny garden.
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
I planted Luminary Opalescence in April and had blooms in May. I actually had blooms and delicious fragrance through August when I let it get swallowed up by its runaway partners. Believe me, it is still there. It is the best behaved, garden phlox I have grown. It gets about 30 inches tall. No drooping, no powdery mildew issues, it self-cleans and just keeps on blooming.
The phlox is one of those plants cherished by gardeners across the country. On the other hand, it is one of dozens of plants that get passed over because they are typically not in bloom when it’s shopping time. The need for instant gratification makes the perennial market a needless, precarious, situation.
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
The summer phlox likes fertile soil with good drainage. I have seen them perform exceedingly well in full sun but in the deep south a little shifting or filtered sun in mid-afternoon makes a happier plant. Be sure and apply a good layer of mulch after planting.
While most of the garden phlox get fairly tall at 3 to 4 feet — often requiring support— the Luminary series are a little shorter, even though Proven Winners calls them tall garden phlox. Ultraviolet is the tallest and may reach 36 inches, but Opalescence will be slightly shorter at 30 to 32 inches and Backlight still a fraction shorter.
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Luminary phlox would look great planted to the rear of a perennial garden. To really create a dazzling display, give yourself plenty of room. Make your beds large enough to plant in informal drifts. Combine with other summer perennials like coreopsis, daisies, rudbeckias, and salvias.
You’ll notice your phlox has another outstanding trait. The sweet nectar is relished by visiting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. So that being said, this is also an ideal flower for the backyard wildlife habitat type garden.
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Once you have your phlox established for a couple of years, they can be propagated easily by taking root cuttings, stem cuttings or divisions. Clump division simply requires the separation of crowns within a clump. Division is done in spring or early fall. Root cuttings are best done after dormancy in the fall.
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Norman Winter / For Savannah Morning News
If you are looking for plants that will return year after year, offer tantalizing fragrance, color and long season bloom, look for the new Luminary series perennial summer phlox. Though they may not be blooming when you shop in the spring, a healthy green plant will give you the promise of a green thumb.
Norman Winter is a horticulturist and national garden speaker. He is a former director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. Follow him on Facebook at Norman Winter “The Garden Guy.” See more photos and columns by Norman Winter at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/home-garden/.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: This summer phlox offers color and fragrance to your Savannah garden
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