PHOTO: Courtesy of Plant Delights
Nursery, Inc.
plant pick
‘John Fanick’ garden phlox Phlox paniculata
Garden phlox in hot areas are rarely happy plants. But ‘John Fanick’, a 3-ft.-tall cultivar, was discovered growing just fine in San Antonio, Texas, where it can get very hot. However, if you like the light pink flowers with darker pink eyes, it’ll do great in cooler areas, too.
Because of the fragrance, and its popularity with butterflies and hummingbirds, garden phlox has always been a much-loved perennial. You just had to tuck it behind a shorter plant to hide the mildewed foliage. Now this cultivar isn’t totally immune to the disease — poor air circulation and high humidity can still trigger an attack. But it is much more resistant than many other phlox cultivars.
TYPE Perennial BLOOM Mid- to late summer SOIL Well-drained LIGHT Full sun SIZE 24 to 36 in. tall and 18 to 24 in. wide PESTS Powdery mildew is an occasional problem HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 3 to 9, Heat: AHS zones 9 to 1
