Phlox plants
Phlox are slender, showy, long-blooming perennials producing beautiful clouds of billowy star-shaped blooms from July right through to September. There are varieties with flowers in almost every colour on the spectrum, including rare shades of blue. Phlox have been a mainstay of the summer garden since colonial times, working well in the cottage garden, mass plantings, meadow gardens, cut flower beds or even containers. Easy to grow and hassle free, they're available in a variety of heights and combine particularly well with flowering shrubs such as abelia. Phlox are perhaps the most versatile perennial: low growing phlox makes the perfect ground-cover; tall phlox make a colourful backdrop; and medium-height varieties are well-suited to filling gaps in the border. Whilst Phlox flowers best in a sunny spot in a rich, evenly-moist soil, it is actually a native woodland plant and doesn't mind partial or dappled shade for some of the day. Keep well watered, dead head faded flowers to encourage a second flush of blooms and lift/divide congested clumps every 3-4 years.