Garden Phlox

Garden Phlox is a native plant naturally found in woodland clearings and edges, but it's so commonly cultivated that it's earned the name garden phlox. In late summer and early fall, it erupts into airy round clusters of strongly fragrant pink flowers. Garden Phlox attracts hummingbirds and clearwing moths, which are hummingbird mimics (they're also called hummingbird moths for this reason)! These fascinating moths have feathery bodies and fly and hover just like hummingbirds. Garden Phlox can suffer from powdery mildew, which causes white spots on the foliage that do not harm the plant. Phlox can aggressively self-seed and is best paired with other vigorous plants.

• Fall special: In the fall, you can cut back Garden Phlox altogether and remove the stems from the garden. This will further help reduce the incidence of powdery mildew next year.
• Can suffer from powdery mildew especially in wetter and shadier yards
• Deadhead spent flowers to prolong bloom time
• Consider removing some seedlings every so often if spread becomes an issue