So, this is an early-bloomer? I must get me some!! So pretty... does it have a scent as well?

Yes 'roxanna' it is the earliest phlox bloomer for me. I don't believe there is a scent.

Sure Rouge knows, but 'Minnie Pearl' is a meadow phlox (Phlox maculata) rather than a garden (tall - some are not tall) phlox (Phlox paniculata), which start to bloom earlier. Our 'Minnie Pearl': corrected below.

We have buds on a garden phlox in quite a sunny location, but the only phlox in flower is an Early Start Dark Pink which was recently bought that way. Guess that doesn't count!

I would love to know about the species for each along with comments on vigor and disease resistance in folks' gardens if you can include them. Thanks in advance.

(Phlox maculata)

I thought it was ok to be inclusive re paniculata, maculata et al in this thread.

For sure a good idea "Babs".

"Minnie Pearl" as mentioned blooms before any of our paniculata. Excellent disease resistance.

There's vastly more cultivars of Phlox paniculata than of P. maculata (long history of breeding and selection, including many improved introductions in more recent times). Some sources generalize saying that P. maculata is less mildew prone than P. paniculata. From my own experience, I would certainly not agree that the P. maculata cultivars are more vigorous than many of the P. paniculata ones.

Sure many folk know of the Chicago Botanic Garden comparative study of phlox (almost all P. paniculata) (ref. below)).

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/planteval_notes/no35_phloxpaniculata.pdf

Correction: Re our 'Minnie Pearl': it is flowering: but the whole plant now consists of one diminutive stem. It's actually being seriously outcompeted by a spiked speedwell planted several years after it was.

'Laura', first garden phlox in bloom, today (at Mrs. L's.). Very sunny bed installed in 2015. Has sprinkler system.

'Laura'/'Little Laura' longevity: With periodic replanting, we have had several in our garden for maybe ten years. But do not find it to be a vigorous spreader. So far this one looks a bit small; likely will end up moving it away from the Penstemon digitalis 'Dark Towers' which obviously loves the location even more.

I have only a plant of 'Wanda' for phlox. It looks much like the species as to flower color, but the form is a bit looser. It appears to be a hybrid with some other species, and is basically perpetual flowering. Last year it flowered till mid-December, when temps fell from 80s to 20s in ten hours. And I lost it. I got a cutting this spring, and it's growing well, but not yet flowering. I'll link to it below.

Phlox Wanda at UT

Minnie Pearl is beautiful. It gets large fast. I don't remember where I read about it, but it's not widely carried and I've never seen it at a nursery. Get it if you can find it.

Somewhere I have a collection of plant stakes with info on all, or most of, the various phlox varieties in my perennial beds, but I can't seem to find them. (I'll keep looking.) These two I do have: Phlox Paniculata BarThirtyOne "Ruby" and Phlox Paniculata BarThirtySix "Red." These are both in the red spectrum, but I also have many purple varieties and several bi-colors. All are tall phlox, and all are thriving and disease resistant. The two I listed claim to be fragrant but I can't notice that they are. However my sense of smell is not great.

About ten years ago we moved most of the phlox I now have from a wetter area with increasing shade to where they now reside in well-drained, drier (but rich, slightly acidic) soil with sun from noon until sunset. They are much happier where they are now, and I have added some varieties to my original phlox plants. I think any phlox would thrive here. They were suffering in their original location.

I wish I had close-up pictures of the individual varieties, but all I have are "group photos.".

This is "Cleopatra".

GW member "Twrosz" first posted pics of this unique flowering phlox a couple of seasons back.

Today.

Tall phlox (Phlox paniculata) planted at Mrs. L's.

'Glamour Girl' in front of 'Tequila Sunrise' and 'David'.

In our garden: 'Peppermint Twist' with our usual reversions to the parent 'Candy Floss'.

Violet Flame.

'Pink Lady' in front of 'Cosmopolitan'.

'Bright Eyes'.

Beautiful Sunny.

Phlox are my favorites. I now have more than I care to admit. Although after tonight they most likely won't be pretty any longer. We just had a long hard downpour of rain, which was so desperately needed. I imagine they will be close to naked. Here is one from the other night...

Very attractive, GardenHo.

My favourite perennials too. I think they're the stars of a mixed perennial garden here from mid July to mid August.

Thank you Sunny. I agree, and they steal the show!

I just love all of these beautiful phlox. I keep planting them and they keep dying! Crispy leaves, blackspot...I spray a fungicide but I still get disease. I will keep trying and I certainly will love seeing all of these beautiful colorful phlox!

Peacock "Cherry Red Phlox":

Twister (a whole plant mutation of 'Peppermint Twist), yesterday.

Planted Younique series 'Younique Old Blue' and 'Younique Old Cerise' (also Verschoor phlox) last year.

Nice colours.

'Younique Old Blue' yesterday.

Left side 'peppermint twist' phlox that reverted, along with noid phlox...

Thanks for all the wonderful phlox pictures. Mine are ok this year but I was distracted in the spring and didn't give them the attention and fertilizer they need in order to do well in my 'hungry' soil. Plus I didn't realize how many died last year while suffering through a stretch of drought.

With all the rain it should have been a great year, but not without some compost...

If anyone wants photos of anemic looking, mildewed phlox let me know!

GH, I like the combination of the panicled hydrangea with the phlox. It's not a combo that would have occurred to me, but I really like it.

I used have a short statured hydrangea paniculata in a small bed and began to add phlox in various colors. As the hydrangea's flowers began to turn pink they blended beautifully with the phlox. It is turned out to be a combination that works, and I was surprised.

Katob lol! I have a few of those 'lovelies' myself. It has not been a the best season for phlox :(

Babs, thank you. It's been work in progress. This bed is up on a hill and really needed more color as its so far away. I'm really liking it too.

Yay I have some lovely phlox to look up now. Beautiful photos!

Has anyone had mildew on Peacock red. Mine are in plenty of sun. This is the second year for these guys. I had to cut them down after the first flower. I shall move one to see if location matters.

Should take more photos of my perennials. Anyway I'll share a few. The first is a spring blooming woodland type phlox. I planted several types so I do not know the name of this one. All of the others where ripped out for mildew problems. This is the only one that always stayed healthy. So I spread it every where.

The yard is a sea of purple for about a month after the daffodils are finished. I'm in my 60's now and finally like the way things are starting to look about time I'd say.

The next phlox to start is Forever Pink (thou it never looks pink to me) After its first year I've never seen disease on it. I need to take a better photo of it. Oh and it now blooms most of the year not heavily but a smattering of blooms after first flush, There are a whole bunch of them now but only a photo peaking out from under Bobo. I found one but the rose midge cups are in it.

The summer blooming Candy Store series is my favorite for health and size. There are many that I love but since I can't stop planting roses I need to keep the phlox short. Once again not many photos need to correct this.

This is what I mean Coral Cream Drop is only 3ft but for half the season it's way taller than the roses. The other Cream Drops are all ready cut back. So they will bloom later and shorter.The dark pink is Bubblegum Pink and the lighter one is a seedling from BP. My luck with seedlings is getting much better now that I remove any that mildew. No exceptions are allowed. No photo of the purple one.My favorite is Peacock White but it can be hard to place since it is so intensely white. It is so healthy and blooms all year once it starts so I've placed starts everywhere to see where it works out best.

Once again I so enjoyed everyones photos thanks.

Very nice phlox, Patty. Interesting information.

Was not familiar with this series, from Carolina Nurseries (home of the Novalis group of growers). The president of Carolina Nurseries says of the Candy Store series "they are long-blooming and disease tolerant. Give them full sun, fertile soil, and a cut-back midseason, and they will produce flowers for six months".

http://www.gardencentermag.com/article/phlox-candy-store-series-voted-favorite-at-anla/

I was eyeing the candy store series last year at my local nursery but then I'm sure something else distracted me. Very nice and I might have to try one or three this year still :)

Pictures, last Saturday.

I bought two varieties of phlox last year. I was surprised the variegated one grew so nice and healthy, while the other is so wimpy, but I love the color. I have heard the variegated variety is not known for it's longevity. I hope it comes back again next year...I would love to have a larger spread of it!

The variegated one is very likely Phlox paniculata 'Nora Leigh'. Of the three variegated phlox we have, 'Nora Leigh' is by far the most robust (in our garden), not prone to mildew but also has foliage which looks good through September and even into October. It's robustness is quite surprising for a variegated perennial.

Here's my newest addition. As of today it is very short. It is called Flame Blue

'Anastasia'

Some Phlox paniculata problems this year.

Some of the 'Jeana' has reached 5 foot. Picture yesterday.

Very anomalous growth on (only part of) a 'Pina Colada'. As said previously, we had a lot of rain this spring (and subsequently). Still the rain was also interspersed with quite dry periods. A small number of phlox, close to the front of beds started their growing season with very yellowed leaves. I cut all of these plants back to ground level, except for one 'Pina Colada' (latter, to see what would happen). That plant developed both normal branches with normal flowers and branches which are quite anomalous. See pictures (taken yesterday).

I'm suspected that so much exposure to rain, towards the outer edges of flower beds, resulted in leaching of soil nutrients. It might seem odd though that other branches developed quite normally.

"Shockwave":

I did an experiment and cut back our 2 SWs back a fair bit in early July. The plant shown above is the only one with flowers (and less than in the past). I don't believe the other one will ever flower this season.

That is a gorgeous plant rouge; is it a phlox you would recommend? I am a real sucker for variegated foliage and wouldn't mind adding another phlox next year.

'debbie', it for sure has superb variegated foliage and is quite a vigorous grower ie it can grow quite tall. And/but just to let you know it is the latest blooming phlox I have ie flowering well into September.

Just when I'm gettin' my Piet Oudolf on, you all post picgtures like this. Now I'm in garden purgatory, swinging on a rope aimlessly between natural meadow and charming cottage. I have no idea...

swinging on a rope aimlessly between natural meadow and charming cottage

And here I thought these were very similar...oops.

I think of meadows being fewer species in large naturalized clumps and a significant grass population. I think of cottage being as many varieties of ornamentals as possible squeezed into a small space. I think they're both very similar in that they are most certainly stunningingly beautiful. Hence, my dilemma. Phlox wasn't originally something I was targeting, but...

sunnyborders- I have a blue paradise which is doing something similar but on a much smaller scale, and no chlorosis of the leaves. I'll see if I can remember to get a picture this weekend, I've never seen anything like this before but then again we also got a ton of rain, the phlox in general did not do well, and I'm seeing significant mildew for the first time ever (in nine years here).