Give me your best thoughts on trying to grow Phlox
lkayetwvz5
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Always had phlox, every color I could find. Love them! But in the past decade I keep losing all and everything I buy. Sometimes as quickly as several weeks. I only have one that's growing the past several years - I'm looking for the tag - it's pale pale lavender. I've had David over and over, Nikki, Laura, Starfire, Brighteyes. Here's a pic of The King which I had for decades now all gone.
I'm not a novice at gardening, but something is 'off'. Please give me your best ideas.
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lkayetwvz5
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Your best Phlox?
Comments (8)I have many new phlox that were planted last year from Perennial Pleasures Nursery in Vermont, including 'Blue Paradise'. I look forward to seeing how they grow this summer. I planted 'Peppermint Twist' and 'David' in autumn 2011. 'Peppermint Twist' remained small as advertised and flowered steadily all season long. I loved the bicolored blooms. No mildew and it had a light fragrance, though it was hard to bend down that low to sniff it, LOL! It will be interesting to see how much larger it grows in the future. My plant of 'David' grew into a nicely robust clump about 2.5 feet tall its first summer with GIANT bloom heads of pure, brilliant white. During its first wave of blooms, it stayed in full flower for weeks even with sweltering heat and erratic water availability from a hose. Once finished, I never got around to deadheading the old bloom panicles and was surprised to see a wave of secondary buds pop out underneath the old spent buds in the same bracts. The second wave was just as good as the first. After wave two finished, I deadheaded which stimulated a lot of smaller bloom panicles from almost the entire length of the remaining stems. There were at least a few blooms present until early November. No mildew and a wonderful fragrance. I can't wait to see what it does next year!...See MoreYour thoughts on David Phlox
Comments (20)Joanne, My phlox David are in full bloom now, not in June. Some of the Davids started blooming about two weeks ago. They are usually a tiny bit later to bloom than my Bright Eyes, Orange Perfection, Starfire, and Nicky. The greenery starts up in spring with everything else (spring here is late). Depending on how tall your hedge is, the greenery would probably be showing some by mid/late June. While my Phlox David have grown well, I would certainly not plant them 2 to 3 foot apart in my garden. Planting tags for my Davids DO say "24 inch S", but I don't expect any new plant to need all their suggested space until at least the 2nd year (in my heavy clay probably year 3, sometimes 4). I would plant them on 12 inch centers in the center area or several areas of your 15 feet, one grouping of 5 plants in the center, or two groups of 3 plants, with the groups equally spaced along the 15 ft. Then let them grow and spread for you, see how well they do, and how well you like them there, and then thin the groupings and add them to the bare spaces, if you like, or plant them elsewhere. If you want a fuller look the first year along the whole 15 feet, you could plant 12 plants, one every foot for a total of 15 plants (fairly expensive), or 7 or 8 plants every 18 inches. When you get down to 5 plants every 3 feet, IMO, it will not have the effect you want. Also keep in mind that a regimented row planting of first year single stalk plants is not particularly attractive looking. Regardless of spacing, I would use a series of very shallow "v" shapes, one plant up front, one back, one plant up etc., to soften the look. The straight edge and heaviness of the shrub line will contrast nicely with the fluffy white flower heads. I would not worry about the space between the porch and the hedge looking bare, I'm assuming you have 18 inches or somewhat more there. It will not be noticeable/unusual in winter from any sort of distance (possibly covered with mulch then and greenery in warm weather), just neat. Being a plantaholic I would probably plant the Davids along part of the porch (one or two clusters) and then some sort of spring/early summer bloomer in the other space(s). Perhaps something like white Siberian Iris would work. It would probably depend on how you like their foliage and its height versus your hedge height. There are some really beautiful varieties available, although I have never used a white one. In my cold zone the foliage looks good all season and they will take full sun to part sun (doing better in more than less)....See MorePlease give me your thoughts on our house plans
Comments (22)Overall, I like it. A few thoughts: Your garage is angled. Is that a necessity? Angles cost more and deliver little value for that cost. I like the master bedroom and bath. They're good-sized, but not over-done, as so many are. Others have said this, but if you're going to work from home from this office, I'd rather see the doors open up into the foyer. That would mean you wouldn't have to let clients any farther into your house than necessary. Along that same line, you're going to have to provide a restroom for clients, so a half-bath is necessary for you. However, they'd have to walk through your living room and past your kitchen (and a personal desk, where any type of personal information might be left) to get to the half-bath by your garage entrance. While I usually like "back door" baths, I'm not sure it's the best choice for your circumstances. I don't see an obvious solution. I would have no concerns about the children's bedrooms being on a different level, nor do I think you'll have any problem because the main floor only has one bedroom. Downstairs I think you have some redundant spaces. A family room AND a den AND a playroom AND a study. Do you have plans for all of these? Downstairs the single bedroom seems to have the better bathroom, while the two bedrooms are sharing the smaller /no tub bathroom. Could the playroom become another bedroom so that these two could share the better bathroom, leaving the farther bedroom to have the smaller bathroom to itself? Or, could the adjacent closet become part of a larger bathroom for the two twin bedrooms, leaving some of those large, redundant spaces to become storage? Or, do you really need two bathrooms downstairs? Bathrooms are the single most expensive rooms in a house -- if you have a nice big one, especially if it's a "divided bath" with the sink in an outer room, can three children share it?...See MoreI need your thoughts on trying to camouflage an area that bugs me
Comments (31)I think visual lines and weight are really coming into play in this space. I agree with the others that say the bench is too long for two reasons. 1. The visual line weight of the stairs is better balanced when the bench comes underneath of it to hold it up instead of the bench being over top of it offering no visual support to the stair line. This may be why the stair line bothers you visually stopping half way up the wall. I know that may sound weird, but everything in a room effects everything else in the room visually. 2. The bench being so long to me, just seems to extend and emphasize the visual long lines of the hallway only adding to the bowling ball effect. I think a shorter, smaller bench would visually balance the weight underneath the line of the stairs and give your eye a resting point instead of following the long lines all the way down the hall. I also thought you had the space to possibly do a small table or coat rack in a couple different spots on the other wall if you wanted instead to better balance the weight the wall with the stairs has. I think it would be really neat to do built in storage underneath the stairs but I know that's expensive and over the top to throw out as a suggestion. I know, I'm probably not helping....See More
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