A REVIEW OF SOME DWARF PHLOXES 
By LOUISE BEEBE WILDER 
S GREAT English gardener has characterized the dwarf 
members of the Phlox family as “a race of indispensa- 
bles beyond all other indispensables for the rock garden,” 
and this high praise is not only well sustained by the 
little plants as ornaments of the rock garden but in many situa- 
tions besides. 
A particular interest attaches to the Phlox family for us on 
account of the fact that it is American in all its branches, even 
the great, summer-blooming varieties tracing their lineage back 
to the slender, pale-colored Phlox paniculata or to the dwarfer 
P. maculata, both of which range the thin woods and roadsides 
of Pennsylvania, west and south. These, of course, have been 
trained out of all resemblance to their former modest state, but 
upon the dwarf species, save in the case of the Moss Pink (P. 
subulata), little work of “improvement” has been tried. Among 
them are to be found little moss-like alpines, graceful lax trailers, 
dainty erect sorts like P. ovata (or Carolina), and such scrambling 
mats of loveliness as P. Stellaria. 
All these forms are to be found in various parts of our broad 
country, and it is now possible by dint of patient search through 
many catalogues to gather together a fair collection of these very 
useful and beautiful native plants. Of the forty-seven species 
given in “The Cyclopedia of Horticulture,” eleven are now quite 
easily come by, and a more imperative demand would, of 
course, bring to light many that are not now handled by the 
trade, and make more general the appearance in nursery lists of 
those that have already been introduced among a narrow circle 
of enthusiasts. 
These plants are inured to our climatic extremes and vagaries 
and should be far more frequently used in the situations that 
they so eminently grace. Some are suited for the border edge, 
others for naturalizing in half-wild places, many will brighten 
a shady comer and all are happy in the rock garden. I have 
found them all grateful for protection against the full force of 
the sun; a situation having light shade for part of the day suits 
them well. 
Among the species that it is now possible to procure are the 
following: 
P. argillacea. This plant was introduced a few years ago 
and was said to have been found in the “sand barrens of the 
Middle West” — its name indicates a liking for gravel. With 
me it sent up many erect stems to the height of about eight 
inches terminating in heads of small silvery-lavender blossoms, 
faintly fragrant. It flourishes in ordinary soil in a half shaded 
spot and appears to be quite hardy. I cannot identify this 
plant in any book on Western wildflowers at my disposal, rtor is 
it mentioned in “The Cyclopedia of Horticulture.” It is, how- 
ever, quite distinct from any of the other species known to me. 
It flowers for a long time in late spring and early summer. 
P. divaricata (syn. canadensis). Next to P. subulata this 
is the most widely known of the dwarf Phloxes. It is a charm- 
ing plant bearing loose heads of fragrant, pure lavender flowers 
on slender stems eight to eighteen inches tall. It likes a rich, 
loamy soil and partial shade and is a delightful 'subject for 
planting in generous patches along the edges of shrubbery 
borders among Darwin Tulips and the later flowering Daffodils. 
It is particularly pretty wreathing the base of the yellow flower- 
ing Currant. Perry’s Laphamii variety is an improvement on 
the type; it has larger flowers, more distinct in tone and a more 
extended blossoming period, and the plant is somewhat dwarfer 
and more compact. A white form of the type is to be had and 
is very lovely. P. divaricata is found in moist, thin woodland 
from New York west to Minnesota, and south to Florida. 
P. amoena. A most satisfactory little plant for the rock gar- 
den, sending up from a decumbent base many leafy stems to a 
height of five or six inches, carrying well-filled heads of bright 
pink flowers. It creates gay patches of color for several weeks 
from the middle of May, and as the rosettes of leaves are prac- 
tically evergreen, it makes itself pleasantly felt throughout the 
year. There is a variety with variegated leaves that is attractive 
for a change. This plant is to be found in the dry lands of 
Virginia and Kentucky, and southward. 
P. Douglasii. This is a low, densely tufted little plant forming 
moss-like mats and cushions, often more than a foot across, 
starred all over with faintly scented pale lilac or white flowers, 
the petals of which turn back in fading. It grows on the 
Rocky Mountains, frequenting high gravelly slopes or in thin 
woods in sandy soil. This is, of course, a variety for the rock 
garden, in well drained rather sandy soil. 
P. multiflora. A little cespitose, branching plant with a woody 
base very like the Moss Pink in appearance. Its height is 
but a few inches and its lavender or pinkish flowers are borne 
in such profusion as to completely hide the green. Like so 
many of its family it is pleasantly fragrant. It is a plant of the 
foothills of the Colorado mountains and has its place in the rock 
garden or along a stone-edged border. 
P. ovata (syn. Carolina). This is one of the more striking 
species and is suited to the rock garden or the front of the 
partially shaded border where it makes very gay patches of 
color. The stems rise erectly to a height of from twelve to 
eighteen inches. The flowers are large and round and bright 
pink in color. It blooms at the same time as P. divaricata, 
and the two are very pretty together. Elevated parts of 
Pennsylvania and southward. 
P. pilosa. A fine plant for massing toward the front of well 
drained, partly shaded, borders. Its slender stems rise about a 
foot and carry a loose cluster of rather large flowers, purple or 
white. An improved form is known as P. pilosa splendens; the 
flowers are bright pink. It has a wide range, appearing in 
New Jersey and southward to Florida, and west from Dakota to 
Texas. 
P. Stellaria. This delightful Phlox is nearly allied to the Moss 
Pink, but is more open in its spreading growth and is perhaps a 
trifle less floriferous, its pale stars being sprinkled over the 
foliage instead of quite obliterating it as is the case with the 
subulata varieties. It is very lovely grown on the slopes of the 
rock garden, or at the top of a dry wall where it may hang in 
festoons. Its color is that which Mr. Farrer described as 
“moonlight blue.” It is altogether one of the choicest of the 
family. At home in Kentucky and Tennessee. 
P. stolonifera (syn. reptans). An attractive species with long, 
trailing, leafy stems terminating in loose clusters of magenta 
flowers. It is a good plant for the rock garden in partial shade 
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