Woodland Phlox

Phlox divaricata 

Other names: Wild Blue Phlox, Blue Phlox, Forest Phlox, Wild Sweet William, Woodland Blue Phlox (1).

The word “phlox” comes from the Greek word “flame.” Many types can be grown, in all colors imaginable. The short purple-blue Phlox divaricata is one of my favorites.

In zone 7 of Georgia, it is one of the first bloomers (after the Hellebores), flowering in early April. Its basal leaves are so small across the ground when it’s not blooming that you almost forget it exists until it pops up its beautiful violet-blue flowers on stalks.


It grows well in medium shade so is great for filling in a shade garden. A slow grower, it still never fails to cover areas of the garden. Just make sure that leaf debris or other plants do not crowd out its small leaves along the ground. The phlox I have looks most like the “Chattahoochee” type with particularly rounded oval petals.

They seem do even better in part-sun than they do in part-shade. I transferred several to an area with part-sun this year to see how they fared, and they have taken off like wildfire.

Propagation

When it blooms in early spring, it sends out runners across the ground from the base of the plant. These will establish root systems and sprout new leaves. Once the new plant is well established, the runner can be severed from the older plant and the newer plant relocated if desired. Propagation by seed should also be possible, but I have never tried collecting them. You can also take a cutting of the stem in late spring and root it.