Phlox Flame™ Purple is a showy perennial offering summer interest, typically blooming from mid to late summer, with possible sporadic rebloom through fall. Freely flowering, the plant produces billowy masses of rich purple flowers with a small dark purple eye. A pollinator favorite, the large flower clusters are sweetly fragrant and nectar rich. They attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the garden but also make excellent cut flowers for summer bouquets.
Flame Purple is a Phlox paniculata species, which is commonly called garden phlox. A classic garden plant, phlox is a favorite of gardeners worldwide. Phlox Flame Purple is a freely and continuously branching herbaceous plant with a compact, upright, bushy habit of lanceolate-shaped leaves that are glossy and bright green. It is a stoloniferous plant that slowly spreads. Phlox is an excellent specimen plant but is shown to best effect when grouped or massed and works well in mixed beds, borders, and containers. By its second season in the garden, Flame Purple can reach up to 30 inches tall, so it may be best planted in the middle to back of perennial beds and borders.
Cold hardy, phlox grows best in sunny to lightly shady locations with rich, organic, moist, well-drained soil that has a neutral to acidic pH, but it tolerates a wide range of soils, including clay soil. Phlox is intolerant of drought, so a summer mulch may be beneficial to keep roots moist and cool. Although Flame Purple has good powdery mildew resistance, providing good air circulation further helps to prevent mildew problems. Deadheading spent flowers promotes new blooms.
A native plant, phlox is indigenous to North America. Native plants are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Naturally adapted to the climate and soil conditions of the region, they thrive without fertilizers or extra watering, once established. They also act as natural pest controls, reducing the need for pesticides in the garden. Landscaping with native plants promotes biodiversity and provides shelter and quality food for wildlife and pollinators, bringing gardens to life.
