I was pretty impressed with 'Flower Power' (a maculata type hybrid). The flower colour is a very suble light pink (almost white) but nice. Foliage was clean. I did not try it as a cutlfower.

Hi Steve,

I can't recommend my favorite phlox because I don't know what it is! I had bought some David for the garden, planted it, and when it bloomed it was a light pink with a dark pink eye. Definitely not David. However, it has really become one of my favorites. Wonderful scent and it goes well in bouquets with pinks, purples, whites, etc.

This is also the phlox I was referring to in the Cutting Forum thread which I said grows in the morning sun/afternoon shade bed.

The closest I can find (and only through looking at pictures, not by planting it myself) is Bright Eyes. I suppose I should buy a plant and grow it to compare to what I have, to try to make a definite ID.

BTW, after almost five years, the clump of this pink/dark pink phlox started producing some pure white stems! Maybe David was in there somewhere all along and trying to get out!

:)
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: phlox pan. Bright Eyes

I can't recommend Phlox paniculata 'Nora Leigh' highly enough. It has white flowers with a pink eye (similar to 'Bright Eyes') and a beautiful yellow/green variegated foliage. Extremely vigorous cultivar, it has never had any problem with fungus or mildew over 4 years. My 2 plants grow 4 feet tall! I've let several of her seedlings grow, and they display the same vigor and bloom color but with solid green foliage.

Phlox maculata 'Flower Power' is also very vigorous and has been mildew/fungus free.

I've also got 'Franz Klein', 'David', 'Tracey's Treasure', 'Miss Lingard', and 'Becky Towe'. These have all proven to be less vigorous, and last year they were all affected to one degree or another by an early-season fungus or root rot. Some were nearly wiped out. I was really surprised at the David since that has a reputation of vigor and mildew-resistence!

Last year I also started the species Phlox paniculata from seed, but none of the seedlings bloomed. Can't wait to see how they will grow and what color(s) they'll be this year.

Phlox 'Nora Leigh' and a Spicebush Swallowtail -
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I am always looking for good blue/purple plants for my garden and stumbled across Phlox 'Blue Paradise'. I am completely smitten with it. It never mildews and has a very, very long season. It begins blooming early, before 'David' and continues through late summer, almost as long as David which hangs on well into fall for me.

And best of all, for me, is the color. The bluest of all the phlox I've seen. The color is changeable with temperature and sun exposure, a variation I am facinated with, from violet-blue to purple to almost pure blue and combinations of all on the same petals.

Hey, I was just about to post a message asking if anyone had any experience with 'Blue Paradise'! I saw it online and it looks great! It's even more encouraging to read your positive remarks about it's mildew resistance and long season. Ok, it's now been added to my To Buy list with Nora Leigh and Flower Power. :)

I was going to add my vote for Flower Power and add Jr. Dance to the list. It's a bright pink. I've had it 4 years now, and so far no powdery mildew or brown leaves at the base.

You'll be happy with 'Blue Paradise' I'm sure. I also have Jr. Dance and it is a rather bright magenta pink if you can live with that color. It's kind of stumpy looking to me, a dwarf variety that you either love or hate. Mildew resistance is so-so for me but better than some.

David is really my favorite but I also love my phlox Jessica. It is not as fragrant, a little shorter, and a nice pale lavender color. It also spreads a little bit which is a good feature for where I have it planted. David on the other hand has become quite tall and robust over several years but seems respectful of its neighbors.

I have four different phlox in my garden, and though the stems on Delta Snow could be stronger, I love the subtle near white petals with pink eye and the wonderful fragrance. Here it is in my garden last year:

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Karen

"Bright Eyes" is very reliable. Little to no mildew, very long blooming, and much faster to mature and 'bulk up" than David.

I have wild phlox in my woodland area. I love the scent of it I've got pinks, whites and purples. It was a real surprise the first year we were here and it bloomed.

Karen, your picture of 'Delta Snow' is beautiful, but I suspect you might have used the wrong White Balance setting on your camera. In the photo it looks like it has lavendar petals with a purple eye (which I would prefer) but as your text says I think it actually has white petals with a pink eye. (See the link below.)

I've been trying to make a photo catalog of all my flowers on my computer to help keep track of my ever growing collection and I've discovered that the White Balance setting can make a big difference in the way that flower colors are rendered. This is most important when I go to buy new plants (especially bulbs or perennails out of bloom) because I normally want to buy new colors not more of what I already have.

Here is a link that might be useful:

You're probably right Steve, I don't mess with the white balance or anything like that too much on my camera, so it is actually more white with a purplish pink eye, but also the picture was taken at sunset, and there was probably only about 15-20 minutes of daylight left at the time, so that had a lot to do with it also.

Karen

Might be a bit too bold for some, though these variegated types really do it for me :)

Becky Towe

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Harlequin
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P. maculata 'Alpha' and P. paniculata 'Laura' are mildew resistant.

I have Shortwood and Robert Poore, both tall like David. Shortwood is a bright medium pink and Robert Poore is more of a purple-pink. These are both mildew-free for me in part shade and fairly dry soil.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shortwood phlox

I am a fan of the Robert Poore phlox, too. It bloomed a very long time last summer and well into fall.

Cameron

I have to vote for blue paradise too. The color is amazing, and it is sturdy. Looks awesome with yellow... love it!

I've been thinking of getting some phlox for my garden. I did a little research and a few of the cultivars I looked at seem very promising. One is a cultivar called "Red Magic" and it's said to have clean foliage and excellent mildew resistance. Also, for mildew resistance, I've heard Eva Cullem has good resistance as well. If you really want to make a bold color statement, Nikki and Orange Sensation are two very colorful cultivars. I'm not really sure about how resistant it is to mildew, though...

I have several different kinds of phlox paniculata. It's important to note that many are mildew resistant...not mildew free. David and Miss Ellie have been the best for me on fighting the mildew, but they still get it. It depends on the weather on how bad it is. In the past 12 yrs I've had a few really bad years, but most of the time they don't look bad until late summer.
Miss Ellie is my favorite. It's my earliest and longest bloomer. It gets a lot of side branches, so one plant really has a lot of flowers. Beautiful very pale pink to white petals with a deep shocking pink eye. Very dark green foliage. Gets about 2 1/2 to 3 ft tall. I'm including a link for a pic of this phlox.

Kat

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:196194}}

My favorite is "Laura' followed by "David". Both flower beautifully and no mildew.

I have tried several varieties and none have lasted for me except light pink flame from the Flame series.
It has been consistently beautiful each summer for the past 9 years with no mildew and it always comes back and I've moved some all over the yard.

I need to try other colors from the flame series.