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Phlox paniculata 'Little Boy' - Little Boy Garden Phlox

Is 30” little? I suppose everything is relative. After all we’ve seen some 6’ summer phloxes. Perhaps we should say that Phlox ‘Little Boy’ is a manageable 30”. Not all gardens can accommodate 6’ plants. Mauve-blue flower panicles begin in late July and go through August on a garden phlox that is fat, compact and entirely manageable. You’ll like this cool color in the hot days of summer. Think of it as visual air conditioning. Although this cultivar is quite mildew resistant, we recommend removing all of last year’s foliage by early spring and mulching with marble chips. That’ll insure problem-free plants.

Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Cold Hardiness: Zones 4-8
Spacing: 12-18"
Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast
Water Needs: Moist well drained soil

Phlox paniculata 'Little Princess' - Little Princess Garden Phlox

Did you know that the genus Phlox is named after “phlogiston”, the “fire” of “earth, air, water and fire”, the four components of matter as hypothesized during the 16th century? Nothing cheers up the summer border like the fiery garden phloxes. This true pink with white eye-zones centered red will bloom from July to September in fat panicles. ‘Little Princess’ is a very compact cultivar that grows just 20” tall. Its stout stems preclude all need for staking. Although this cultivar is very resistant to fungal problems we do recommend an early spring removal of old foliage and a mulching of marble chips for all summer phloxes. Your small effort will be rewarded by fantastic summer of phlogiston.

Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Cold Hardiness: Zone 4-8
Spacing: 12-18"
Growth Rate: Moderate
Water Needs: Moist well drained soil

Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign' - Blue Ensign Lungwort

Please excuse the common name, “lungwort”. ‘Blue Ensign’ will not effect your lungs. I could suggest the alternate common name, “Bethlehem sage” but this is not a sage, nor does it come from Bethlehem. The borage family, of which Pulmonaria is a member, is noted to include some of the truest blues of all flowering plants. ‘Blue Ensign’ is a prime example. Cerulean Blue? Gentian Blue? I get mixed up on my of blues. Will you settle for “intense” blue? Its foliage is deep green with no spots; its lance-shaped leaves are a bit downy. It makes a very compact mound bearing its blue flowers in early spring.

Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full shade
Cold Hardiness: Zone 4-9
Spacing: 12-18"
Growth Rate: Moderate
Water Needs: Moist well drained soil

Pulmonaria longifolia 'Golden Haze' (PPAF) - Golden Haze Lungwort

Here’s another exceptional plant from that inimitable hybridizer and raconteur, Dan Heims of Canby, Oregon. It’s a gold edged form of Pulmonaria ‘Bertram Anderson’. The flowers are lighter blue than those of ’Bertram Anderson’ and the foliage is overlaid with a golden haze outlined by an irregular border of gold. The overall effect is quite magical. It works very well in a woodland garden complementing various ferns and Hostas. Try it in front of a clump of Variegated Hakone grass, Hakonechloa aureola ‘Variegata’. We think you’ll be absolutely blown away by this serendipitous marriage.

Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full shade
Cold Hardiness: Zones 4-9
Spacing: 12"
Growth Rate: Moderate
Water Needs: Moist well drained soil

Pulmonaria 'Silver Lance' - Silver Lance Lungwort

There are other silvery-leafed Pulmonarias but, to our knowledge, none with coral-red flowers such as found on ‘Silver Lance’. As you might expect the leaves are lance-shaped, rather long and narrow with pointed tips. We find it especially alluring with spring primroses, which share its bloom time. The silver foliage of the Pulmonaria lends a high visual note to the overall foliage appeal of the shade garden throughout the season. Try combining it with various of the lady ferns or maidenhair ferns. It also combines very nicely with Epimediums and hellebores.

Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full shade
Cold Hardiness: Zones 4-9
Spacing: 12-15"
Growth Rate: Moderate
Water Needs: Moist well drained soil