Native Plant of the Week: Woodland Phlox

Family: Polemoniaceae

Name: Phlox divaricata

Bloom Time: late April - May

Flower: lavender purple

Soil Condition: moist, rich, well-drained

Light: Partial shade, shade

Height/Width: 6-12" / 10-18"

Native Range: Eastern North America

Zone: 3-8

Although not native to Long Island, this fragrant beauty belongs in every woodland garden. The beautiful flowers are a great addition to the shade garden for our early season pollinators. When planted with spring ephemerals, it helps to hide their leaves as the fade with warmer days.

Photo: Flower (KMS Native Plants)

Maintenance: woodland phlox is prone to powdery mildew - cut the foliage back after flowering to refresh the plant

Benefits: pollinators, nectar source, drought tolerant, clay soil tolerant

Noteworthy Cultivars: 'Blue Moon', 'May Breeze'

Companion Plants: Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), sedges (Carex species), fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia), spring ephemerals

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References:

1. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-divaricata/

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