290 Remarks on the Phlox Family. 



The early or June species and varieties, if cut down immediately after 

 blooming, will produce a second crop of flowers in August and Sep- 

 tember. 



The later sorts begin to flower the middle of July, and continue to 

 give a succession of bloom till October, as some of the varieties are 

 earlier and others later ; but the middle of August most are in perfec- 

 tion. It has been truly said by one writer that a collection of phloxes, 

 properly attended to, would of themselves constitute a beautiful flower 

 garden. 



The late-flowering sorts are much to be prized on account of their 

 lively colors of red, rose, purple, white, and variegated, and form a fine 

 contrast with other autumnal flowers. The vernal ones, too, are accept- 

 able, though humble in growth, and delight the eye with their brilliancy 

 and loveliness, while the summer species and varieties are indispensable 

 for the perfection and beauty of the garden. 



While many herbaceous plants require protection in winter, none of 

 the phloxes absolutely require it, except some of the dwarf early species, 

 which are evergreen ; the flower buds are formed in autumn, and should 

 be slightly protected, or rather shaded. It is not so much the cold as 

 the powerful March sun which does the damage. All that is necessary 

 in most cases of protection for any herbaceous plants, is to prevent the 

 action of the sun upon the plant when in a frozen state. 



Most of the species delight in a moist, rich soil, but succeed tolerably 

 well in almost any situation, provided it is not very light and dry. No 

 plant is more easily propagated than most of the family. It is done 

 generally by dividing the roots immediately after the bloom, or while 

 they are in the bloom, in August, which is the proper time to have 

 strong plants for next year's flowering ; or they may be successfully 

 divided in April, but will not flower so strong as those divided in August. 

 If in flower, the stems should be cut down, leaving a few leaves at the 

 bottom of the stalks. They may also be successfully propagated by 

 cuttings in the scoring, which is often done where it is desirable to obtain 

 a stock of some of the new and rare varieties. 



Thirty-five years ago I wrote an article on the Phlox family, which 

 was published in the Horticultural Register. At that time there had 

 not been much improvement made in this interesting flower. The 

 species which were then described botanically included four of the 

 spring flowering, three of the early summer, and ten of the late sum- 

 mer or autumn. 



