556 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



July 20, 1912. 



PHLOXES IN THE ROCK 



GARDEN* 



Few classes of flowering plants can excel 

 a selection of dwarf phloxes in the beauti- 

 fying of the rock garden during the spring 

 and early summer months. There is a 

 diversity of form and colour, which is in- 

 deed charming when viewed among the 

 bronze and grey lines of weathered rocks. 

 There is much to commend this race of 

 plants. Ease of culture, extreme hardi- 

 ness, a sturdy, effective habit of growth, 

 and a glorious prodigality of blossom are 

 points which tt^tify to the value of the 

 dwarf phloxes in the rock garden. 



It is worthy of note that phloxes are very 

 easy of propagation, and readily respond 

 to a little attention on this point. Cut- 

 tings may be rooted at any time during 

 the sumuKM- nutritlis under a handlight, 



Phlox divaricata and its varieties should 

 be in the garden of every lover of hardy 

 plants. Growing from nine inches to a foot 

 in height, these beautiful forms give a 

 dainty display during the spring months. 

 P. divaricata itself is lavender-blue in 

 colour, while the form canadensis is rather 

 purer and brighter in its colouring. Alba 

 is a good white variety, far too rarely seen 

 en masse, while the newer forms, such as 

 Laphami, a deep, almost indigo, blue, and 

 Perry's variety, a soft plumhago blue, with 

 a goo<l free habit, are delightful in every 

 way. It is a good plan to place these blue- 

 shade^l phloxes in close proximity to white- 

 flowered subjects, thereby gaining in colour, 

 tone, and clearness against the surrounding 

 white. 



P. ovata, an evergreen, rosy-flow^<^red 

 species, calls for attention. It is dwarf in 

 habit, and attractive when in blossom, 

 though hardly to be compared with its 



misty blue shading. It is delightful when 

 spreading forward over the rock face, and 

 is indeed one of the charms of an alpine 

 garden. 



varieties — Annulata, 



Its 



with 



bluish- 



white flowers, having a purple ring ; Bridal 

 maid^ a dainty white, shading to hlac at 

 the centre ; Eventide, a delicate milky 

 shade of pale blue ; Seraph, a w'hite variety 

 with a clear blue centre ; Newry Seedling, a 

 delightful starry gem in palest mauve: 

 Lilacina or G. F. Wilson, a beautiful clear 

 mauve-blue, light, yet softening in tone; 

 and Atro-liiacina, its replica in a deeper 

 tone of colouring — embrace a group of 

 ethereal moonlight shades that are charm- 

 ing beyond measure, a galaxy of perfect 

 beauty portrayed in clear, exquisite hues. 



Of P. subulata, one need not write in 

 detail, as its rose-pink blossoms crowding 

 over the close, dense grow^ths are a feature 

 in a host of gardens during the days of 



PHLOX CANADENSIS LAPHAMI. 

 A remarkably beautiful variety, comparatively tall in growth, and bearing bright lavender-blue flowers 



using a sandy loam for the rooting medium, 

 and keeping them shaded from direct sun- 

 shine until rooted. 



In the matter of planting, I prefer early 

 spring for the operation, as ofttimes, if 

 autumn planting is followed the plants 

 have no chance to establisli them- 

 selves before the rains early in the winter 

 saturate the soil, and seriously endanger 

 the chances of the alpine phloxes. This 

 danger of root deterioration through damp 

 is greater in a heavy soil than a light one ; 

 thus, it is w^ell for the cultivator to make 

 his planting compost as gritty and open as 

 possible. Another ipoinb worth noticing is 

 that the close growing forms of the subu- 

 lata type suflFer mere than their lighter- 

 foliaged relatives of the stellaria group. 



The colours of phloxes (at lea^st those grown 

 in the rock garden forms) are invariably 

 good. Yet there is need of discretion in 

 grouping, lest the lilac and ''rose- 

 pinks'' be placed too near those exquisite 

 slaty and turquoise blues, which are so 

 charming if shown to advantage. 



variety Carolina, which is taller in growth 

 and more floriferous. 



One of the showiest is P. reptans, a won- 

 derfully free-flowering gem, with a pro- 

 nounced creeping habit. Its colour is 

 usually described as rose-pink, but there is 

 a distinct shade of pale purple in it. 



P. amoena is pleasing, with hosts of rosy 

 blossoms, which last well into summer. P. 

 verna, the Spring Phlox, usually regarded 

 as a natural hybrid form, follows amcena 

 closely in colourings while procumbens^ a 

 dainty little purple gem, lifting its blossoms 

 in numerous panicles above its prostrate 

 growths, is decidedly a plant to secure. It 

 has been regarded as a natural hybrid be- 

 tween amcena and subulata, though it 

 seems unknown in a wild state. 



Good though the foregoing phloxes are, 

 they cannot excel in beauty the dainty 

 stellaria group, which, unfortunately, are 

 too often confused with the subulata varie- 

 ties. The typical form, P. stellaria, I have 

 noted in the past for its light spreading 

 habit of growth and white blossoms with a 



spring, but many of its varieties are indeed 

 worthy of note. Among the best of them 

 are Nelsoni, an exceedingly fine white, with 

 a sturdy hahit of growth ; Brightness, a 

 very effective bright rose, with a scarlet 

 eye ; Daisy Hill^ a rosy-hued, crimson-zoned 

 variety, with blossoms of extra size ; Fairy, 

 a pretty rosy-lilac, wdiich is more continu- 

 ous in blossom than many ; grandiflora, a 

 large-flowered pink, of decided value; 

 Nivalis, a charming white of rather lighter 

 habit than Nelsoni ; Leila, a distinct rosy- 

 grey ; Sprite, a bright rosy-pink^ with car- 

 mine centre; and Pallida, with' attractive 

 mauvy shadings. 



Many others are almost equally good, 

 such as Perfection, pink; Model, rose: 

 Mabel, rosy-lilac; Aldboro'ensis, rose aid 

 crimson ; Atro-purpurea, purplish-rose; and 

 the bright-hued Vivid, w^hich, unfortu- 

 nately, is not nearly so' hardy in constitu- 

 tion as its kindre<l varieties. 



Certain it is that in the hardy phloxes we 

 possess a wealth of decorative material f<'^ 



the rock garden. P. S. Haywabp. 



