I tried ..... The rabbits liked it the most, argh.

"Minnie Pearl" blooms extra early.

Had Phlox 'Minnie Pearl' (a P. maculata hybrid). Was planted in the same location and at the same time as a Flame Purple and a Flame Pink. The 'Minnie Pearl' lasted a couple of years and the Flame phlox are still going strong. Haven't found Phlox maculata cultivars as hardy/long-lived as those of P. paniculata.

Think "dwarf", with respect to garden phlox, doesn't always mean the same thing to all gardeners. Still I'm currently especially appreciating (based largely on having numbers of each of the following, their hardiness and their showiness): 'Pina Colada' (white), 'Tequila Sunrise' (coralish red), 'Starfire' (red), Flame Coral, Flame Purple, 'Delilah' (reddish purple), 'Wendy House' (reddish purple), Nicky (purple) and a pink I originally got from a local horticultural society sale that I call "My Pink".

Just a bit taller than these, I'd say 'Galmour Girl' (coralish red) is currently my favourite garden phlox. The straight stands of 'Glamour Girl' look (stately?). 'Bright Eyes' cuts the same (figure?). For me, the dwarfs can look a bit shrimpy, plus garden phlox show better at variable heights.

This August 5:

Thanks for your responses. Some of my phlox are on a slight incline so get a bit of variation of height and some get pruned by deer early for the same affect. Nice grouping of the above, sunny.

Thanks, Mnwsgal. I'm finding there's a component of chance in how the overall colour set works out. There's timing; the different cultivars don't all bloom at the same time. Also in dividing and replanting garden phlox it can be quite difficult to keep track of which cultivars are located where. Also, some cultivars seem much more vigorous than others.

I am beginning, however, to be able to see systematic, if minimal, differences in the flowers between some quite similarly coloured garden phlox. Relying on plant height, as one criterion for visual cultivar recognition, can be a bit misleading, since things like when a plant was planted and whether it needs division and replanting may be involved.