Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Phlox are considered the backbone of many cutting gardens. Right now in my St. Matthews flower beds, the phlox are making a tremendous show – three feet tall and masses of purples, pinks, and whites. A vase filled with them not only brings charm to a living or bedroom but also a delicate fragrance. While other flowers often have gaps from insect feeding, my phlox are so pretty I could put them in a flower show. But phlox in zone 8 b gardens are a relatively new phenomenon – the original phlox paniculatas were so susceptible to powdery mildew that most South Carolinians couldn’t grow them. With the remarkably mildew resistant cultivars now on the market, the only reason you couldn’t have a bed of gorgeous phlox is that they are irresistible to deer and I don’t think “deer resistance” is part of any on-going research studies.
Growing Phlox in South Carolina
