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| White Phlox paniculata 'David' with 'White Swan' and 'Prairie Splendor' coneflowers. July 2013 |
Tall, sturdy and fragrant. I love phlox 'David' for so many reasons. While other varieties have cross-pollinated into different colors, David has remained pure white.
The show is big this year as I cut back the Knock Out® roses to give this mass of David more space. No regrets—the roses bloomed beautifully and will repeat. However, the crepe myrtles along the outside of the cottage garden fence will soon shade this area enough for me to replace the roses with hydrangeas. I hope David will continue to flourish here in part shade.
Difficult to see in the photo: Spiky, deep pink persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail' is beginning to bloom behind David to repeat the purple coneflower color. I love this persicaria and look forward to masses of spikes as the perennial gets established in this new spot.
(Note: After two years of growing the persicaria in the deer resistant garden, I removed it because it's not resistant at all. The deer love it and reach through the fence to pick the blooms.)
There are also new clumps of white liatris 'Alba' in the cottage garden border. Because we sit on the front porch in the evenings, I'm using the white to light up the garden along the fence.
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| Another view of same phlox in the cottage garden. July 2013 |
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| Another group: Recent divisions of phlox 'David' are underplanted with geranium 'Rosanne' and daylily 'Joan Senior' for now. |
I've repeated divisions of David along the cottage garden fence. One group is underplanted with geranium 'Rosanne' and 'Joan Senior' daylily. I want to move that daylily to my pale yellow garden section for next year and replace this one with a daylily that will echo the color of the geranium.
Another group is planted with salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'. I don't have photos right now because those clusters of phlox aren't yet in full bloom. But I love the cobalt blue salvia with white phlox. The hummingbirds approve.
In a larger cottage garden border, I'm still growing David with monarda 'Raspberry Wine' and oriental lily 'Starfighter' for a favorite combination (click the link to view the story and see the photos).
Grow phlox paniculata 'David' in full sun in zones 4-9, but part shade is working well here in my south-facing southern garden. This perennial is topping out at about forty inches with rich soil and ample moisture. It's so easy to divide in autumn or spring.
| Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons. |
