{"id":8372,"date":"2020-07-31T03:35:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T03:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/?p=8372"},"modified":"2020-07-31T03:54:06","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T03:54:06","slug":"plant-a-day-2020-day-205-phlox-paniculata-laura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/31\/plant-a-day-2020-day-205-phlox-paniculata-laura\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant-A-Day 2020 (Day 205) Phlox paniculata “Laura”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the past, I\u2019ve often ordered the inexpensive perennial mixes from mail order catalogs\u2013fifteen perennials for $9.99 or something like that. The value isn\u2019t always there. When the plants arrive, they can be tiny and needy, and barely better than starting plants from seed. One year, I got a mix that included three Phlox paniculata plants. They didn\u2019t look like much, but I stuck them out in the driveway bed and watered them now and then. It took a couple of years before they bloomed. In another year, they got pretty showy. The standout of the three is \u201cLaura.\u201d She has full lavender flowers with white eyes and makes a grand show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I haven\u2019t identified the other two clones planted in the same place, I\u2019ll include their photos here with Laura. I didn\u2019t imagine I would end up with a clashing color combo, thinking most of the hybrid phloxes would complement each other. Boy, was I wrong. The most red of the three is just red enough to clash pretty badly with the other two. The most robust one you see in the photos is also the most fragrant, sweetly scenting the entire driveway and lawn .<\/p>\n\n\n\n