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| I love phlox, but have had a real problem with powdery mildew (at least I think it is powdery mildew) in my garden. By the middle of the season my phlox look terrible and have lost most of the leaves on the bottom half of the plant.
I have been looking online at the various varieties. Many say mildew resistant, but I would really like to hear from folks regarding what they think are the best. I don't want more white in my garden, so am not considering David. I lean more towards the pink varieties. Thank you. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Phloxes which grow in places which are too dry for them are more prone to get mildew. Of the pink ones the best ones for me are Miss Pepper(mildew-free 2 years in a row) and Herbstwalzer. Jules Sandeau is good too. Very mildew prone: Dorffreude. |
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| There are many phlox that will *resist* mildew, though I do not think any are completely *immune* when grown in tough conditions. In general, fertile soil and consistent moisture = very little or no mildew. If you click on the link below, it will take you to Perennial Pleasures Nursery, an amazing boutique nursery in Vermont that specializes in Phlox paniculata cultivars. The owner rate the mildew resistance of every variety listed for sale. This is one of my favorite nurseries, and I have many of their phlox on order to add to my new garden this spring. Wieslaw59's recommendations are excellent, though I do not think Herbstwalzer is available on this side of the Atlantic (unless it goes by another name?). Three of my favorites are David, Jeana and Katherine. My least favorites due to lack of vigor are any of the so-called red varieties, like Starfire or Red Magic. They just never seem to do well for me. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Perennial Pleasures Nursery
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 6, 12 at 9:17
| the issue with mildew.. is going into darkness ... with wet leaves ... on hot humid nights when i used to do phlox in suburbia.. i would get home and in the evening.. wet down the whole garden.. it was a stress reliever.. unbelievable mildew on monarda.. phlox.. roses .... once i stopped wetting things down.. i reduced the PM 50% ... the bane of such is also air movement at night.. so the next step was cutting away some of the jungle around them.. to get the best air movement.. at night that i could ... finally.. i found out that it is prevented with early application of baking soda and water.. in a spray tank ... no chemicals necessary ... [might want to verify that .. coffee buzz warning.. lol] it took me a long time to learn all that without the worldwideweb ... then i moved out to the country... former horse pasture.. much wind .. pure sand .. and full sun ... and have never had a PM issue ... frankly it is just too dry ... and i dont water them at all once established ... whether a given plant will resist or not.. is irrelevant .... if the plants are placed in a situation where it is impossible to resist ... sooo.. i would suggest you plant them in full sun... and once they get established.. insure they never have wet leaves in darkness ... and if its a lawn sprinkler issue.. figure out how to avoid such ... they are not a 'stuff them in a crowed corner' type plant ... and if you cant do that.. NOTHING.. repeat NOTHING .. will stop PM completely ... what all that means.. is that the plants 'CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS' will outweigh any claim of resistant.. IMHO ... 'culture' meaning how and where its planted ... all that said.. the fragrance is unique .. and one of my childhood memories.. i think grandma had some back in the polish ghetto of detroit in the 60's ... i will never be without them ... good luck ken BTW ... mine get 4 to 5 feet tall with total abject neglect.. and seed themselves somewhat... i started with the pink eyed one.. and the seed has given a pink.. and a white ... i never knew they seeded until i neglected them. lol .. so now i have 3 varieties .... |
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| Thank you all for your input. I started a new garden area last year where I will plant more phlox this spring. The conditions in the new area should be more suited to what they need. I think I will try Miss Pepper and Jules Sandeau for sure - I'm still checking out the other varieties from Perennial Pleasures Nursery. I generally only water new plants or when the conditions are pretty dry. Of course, summer in Iowa is always going to be humid - not much I can do about that. Thanks again.
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 6, 12 at 18:31
| only to make sure they are the tallest.. and not too closely surrounded ... etc ... and only water the soil ... with a breaker bar aka watering wand.. and not shoot them with the pistol grip ... there is always something you can do ... whether or not you succeed.. is what is left to the fates.. good luck ... ken |
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| I have been growing John Fanick for more than 10 years and never had any problem with mildew until early summer last year because of severe drought/heat in my area. I never did water it much because it had become HUGE and I didn't mind if conditions limited it's conquest to take over the yard. It recovered from the mildew and bloomed beautifully. Nothing wimpy or spindly about this phlox, and on a warm summer evening it's fragrance fills the air. It's kind of dark pink and light pink and blooms constantly with no deadheading. |
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