As always, my garden is speeding along this spring, and I am just barely keeping up. Today’s post features a couple of plants that have been especially spectacular this spring. I don’t take much credit for the display. All do their thing without any intervention from me.
For the past couple of weeks, the front garden is all about our native wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata). I started with a handful of small plants that rode down with us years ago from Pennsylvania. These easy and accommodating wildflowers self sow, and I brought down plants in a range of colors in shades of lavender and lilac-blue to white. This spring, the front garden is filled with great clumps in a full range of shades. There also are some deep purples elsewhere in the garden that I am encouraging to sow around. I simply can’t stop looking at them, plus wild blue phlox has a delightful light fragrance as long as the weather is not too windy.
Above: Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata.
Wild blue phlox thrives in partial shade to partial sun, and tolerates evenly moist to somewhat dry soil. The seedlings appear in surprising spots and are always welcome!
You will find divisions of my plants offered at the Rock Hall Garden Club plant sale on Saturday, May 7 in the park across from Bayside Foods, as well as at Chestertown Garden Club’s May Mart in Chestertown’s Fountain Park on Friday, May 13. Locals who don’t manage to snag any divisions at either of the sales can e-mail me directly: I am happy to share and obviously am well supplied.
Above: Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) with hellebores, yellow trillium (Trillium luteum), and a giant form of our native Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum f.commutatum. Note that the trilliums are responsibly propagated: They are originally from my mother’s garden.
Finally, I’ll share a shot of a new favorite: Dwarf bearded iris ‘Qucken’. I don’t grow standard bearded irises, but I do have a weak spot for their diminutive relatives. ‘Quicken’ is about 8 or 10 inches tall, tolerates dry soil, and graces the garden with lovely blooms each spring. Note that wild blue phlox can withstand these conditions as well, and is starting to fill in the spaces.
Eastern Shore Gardener 
The phlox appeared in my garden and are gorgeous this year
As you know, I adore them, and they fill in around everything else so nicely!
You gave me a small pot of these a few years back. They are the 1st blooming plants in the yard. I love them!
Hi Valerie! They aren’t the first things that bloom in my garden, but they certainly come early. I assume yours have self-sown as well. Barbara
What an inviting, lovely display of one of my favorite spring treats. You have an eye, Barbara.
On Wed, May 4, 2016 at 2:42 PM, Eastern Shore Gardener wrote:
> Eastern Shore Gardener posted: “As always, my garden is speeding along > this spring, and I am just barely keeping up. Today’s post features a > couple of plants that have been especially spectacular this spring. I don’t > take much credit for the display. All do their thing without any inter” >