Friday, April 15, 2011

DOWNY PHLOX IN BLOOM

Phlox pilosa

You will find this native perennial plant blooming in our Wildflower Garden.  Wildflowers.org describes this plant as follows:
"A mounded perennial, downy phlox grows 1-2 ft. tall and bears clusters of fragrant, pale pink to lavender flowers. The petals of the showy flowers are joined at their bases into an elongate tube. Stems and narrow, paired leaves are covered with soft hairs."
At the Arboretum this plant will bloom for about a month. It is sure to attract butterflies and bees.  To find out more about growing this perennial, click here. To read more about native plants for our area, check out this book:  "Gardening with Native Plants of the South" by Sally and Andy Wasowski.