18 - North Shore News —- Wednesday. August 16, 2000 living _ f eeenir sate Flowering phiox regaining | pd SEEING the clumps of phlox come into bloom in mid-summer brings back memories of my childhood. Summers seenied to go on forever and the light sweet scent of phlox watted across the garden. Phiox has long been a mainstay in herbaceous bor- ders but until recently was considered a litde old fash- joned. With the introduction of new colourful hybrids and the strong interest in perenni- _ als, the plant is regaining pop- ularity. Individual phlox tlowers and foliage are not notewor- thy but when planted in large numbers, the block of colour can be spectacular. Blending colours and different varieties that vary in height can pro- duce a bank of variegated colour. Maybe this is why they were given the Greek name for flame. : '* This planting pattern also helps to hide the “bare leg syndrome” that is a problem with some of the older taller phlox types. They also work well with other perennials where you need taller plants for the middle or back section of the border. : .... I have one small clump of magenta phlox planted along- . - Side some white daisies with a ~ dracaena and a fern as a back- .. drop. The colours contrast nicely and the greenery gives ~~. - fullness to the grouping. Phiox are best prow in ” full sun or very light shade for part of the day. With sufficient Sunlight they as are self support: Sow it __ grows ing and rarely need staking. However, they do need a good supply of water during the mid- to late-summer when they come into bloom. Te help maintain the moisture and nutrient level it is advis- able to use a rich compost mulch around the plants. Planes that are short of water seem to be much more susceptible to powdery mildew as the humidity increases towards the end of August. Good air circulation will help reduce the mildew prob- lem. Assisting the plant's nat- ural resistance is preferable to using a fungicide which will have limited value, Flower stalks from well watered phiox plants will also stand up far better as cut flowers. Most of our cominon gar- den phlox are hybrids of Phlax paniculata, 2 native species growing in the eastern U.S. The original colours were white through purple in pastel shades. Hybridizing different forms of P. paniculata and crossing with other phlox species, the colour range has been broadened from pastel pink to fluorescent magenta. Much of the cross breeding has been done using P. nracu- fata. It is a shorter plant (60 “ ie NEWS photo Mike Wakefield PHLOX, which take their name from the Greek word for “flame,” are best grown in full sun. to 90 cm), has glossy leaves, blooms earlier and is more resistant to powdery mildew. Often it is difficult to deter- mine what the parentage of the new plants are. Phlox can also be grown from seed as an annual. Phlox drummondii is the annual Uilt-in WEBER SUMMIT 675 SERIES GAS BARBECUE At last Weber's state-of-the-art cooking performance and durability is now available for custom built-in installation. ” © 66,000 BIU'S will quickly and evenly - heat the cooking surface to 550° © 6 heavy duty stainless steel burners © cross over ignition system Come to Tolistones, Vancouver's ages barbecue sales & parts specialist. Family 0 owned & operated since 1975 form but again it has been hybridized to develop differ- ent colours such as yellow and apricot, repeat blooming and varving heights. There are several phlox species that are best known as alpine or cushion types. Unlike their larger cousins opularity these plants are only a few centimetres high and preter a dry sunny site. They are excel- fent plants for a dry wall or rockery and remain green year round. 2 suludaia is often called Rock Phlox and pro- duces a pink bloom in May or Junie. P. douglasti grows about 20 em and comes in white or lavender and looks qutite simi- lar to subulata. P. bifida or Sand Phlox is less common. 2. divaricata is a new woodland ground cover that is not widely available but should be popular because of its low height and large blooms. Phfox are easy to grow and have few problems with pests. When the main bloom starts to fade, cut the stem at the last flower spike and this should trigger a small sec- ondary set of blooms to form below the first ones. After the first heavy frost in the fall when the leaves start to brown, cut the flower stalks to the ground. Unfortunately, they are too woody for the compost bin, Mulch the plants in the early spring with com- post. Every five years or so the plants benefit from being lift- ed and divided in the spring. Save the healthy shoots from the outside of the clump and discard the old centre section. Renew the soil and replant the new sections of root. Phiox are also relatively easy to prop- agate from cuttings in the early spring or late summer. Now js the time to start planning for next year’s show with some new phlox plants. Complete, ¥5 AUG. 17: Join members of the Institute of Urban Ecology for the workshop Planning Your Backyard Habitat, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Vancouver Museum. Free with museum admission. L£0 Chestnut $¢., Vancouver. For more information, call 736- 5417. QNGOING: The North Shore Reeveling Program is looking for model organic gardens for its second annual Natural Gardens Tour. If you are using organic or alterna- tive gardening practices and would like your garden to be part of the tour please call 984-9730 for a garden entry form or for more informa- tion. OCTOBER TO MARCH: Evergreen, a non-profit envi- ronmental group whose mandate is to bring nature back into the environment, will hold a planning and planting workshop series for educators and parents inter- ested in transforming school grounds into “outdoor class- rooms.” For a schedule of workshops, call 689-0766. GREEN GUIDE is « weekly Wednesday column. If your business or charity is planning a gardening event, send in your information as early as possibie to Layne Christensen/o the North Shore. News, 1139 Lonsdale . Ave.,. North Vancouver, B.C. :send e-mail te. . Prisvity is given to fundraising events and shows taking place on. the North Shere. - We are also Complet Autome ive Service Sop a Government licensed ‘inspection station ARA certified body shop 183 Pemberton Ave. North Van. 985-7195