Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume'

The Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume', also known as Blue Phlox or spreading phlox, is a creeping variety that forms in spring a cloud of lavender-blue star-shaped flowers, delightfully scented, resting on a soft carpet of velvety and semi-evergreen foliage. This perennial plant naturally propagates itself through long wandering stems that easily root. It is a beautiful ground cover in cool climates, ideal in a rock garden or to cover walls, in non-scorching sunlight, in cool but well-drained soil.

Belonging to the Polemoniaceae family, Phlox divaricata is a perennial plant native to Quebec and the southern United States. 'Clouds of Perfume' is a particularly fragrant and floriferous selection, showing a spreading habit with a slightly loose clump, 30 cm (12in) in height. It develops by emitting long purplish stems that run along the ground and root here and there, forming beautiful carpets of velvety dark green foliage over time, brighter on the underside of its acute small leaves. The flowering takes place in the heart of spring. Its scented flowers, star-shaped with five lavender-blue petals, are grouped in terminal corymbs carried by upright stems.

This blue phlox likes both freshness and light. It spreads and flowers better in well-drained soils of cool rock gardens than under scorching heat. This use can also be paired with Campanula porscharskyana or creeping bugle. We grew it in our garden with the pale yellow and translucent foliage of Hosta fortunei 'Aurea' in a cool, humus-rich, and shaded soil. In a cooler garden, all phlox can be planted in full sun, even if some tolerate shade very well, but in areas where summers are hot, a semi-shaded position is essential. Note that this plant is sensitive to limestone.