A great joy of the late summer garden is fragrant phlox. Their sweet scent and old-fashioned charm lighten up August's shortening days and flagging flora ....but too often the pastel simplicity of their flowers are marred by sickly leaves. These pretty perennials are prone to a plague of powdery mildew.
Now Sunshine Farms is introducing a new phlox that resists powdery mildew. Phlox paniculata 'Jeana' is vigorous, and grows only two feet high, about half the height of the straight species. The flowers are lavender-pink and long-lasting. Let's hope 'Jeana' is as healthy in our climate as claimed (the phlox was extensively tested in Tennessee). You can order these new phlox retail from Sunshine Farm and Gardens; I'd expect them to be generally available in nurseries within a year or so.
Here's a photo (courtesy of Sunshine Farm and Gardens) of the new bionic phlox, and a comparison of typical phlox leaves infected with powdery mildew vs. the healthy 'Jeana' leaves on the right:
