Here’s a plant you can feel good about in so many ways. Prairie Phlox, Phlox pilosa, first dazzles us with its fragrant clusters of dark rose lavender blossoms May to July. Compared to other finicky Phlox, it has no serious insect or disease problems. This Illinois and Missouri native perennial forms a long-lived colony over time. A stoloniferous plant with fuzzy foliage, it matures to mounds 12-18″ tall and wide. Another common name is Downy Prairie Phlox.

Use Prairie Phlox in sunny cottage gardens, pollinator and native gardens, formal settings, and on the edges of woodlands. Useful as a ground cover or naturalized in sunny areas. This plant has different subspecies (deamii, detonsa, fulgida, latisepala, ozarkana, pilosa, pulcherima, riparia, and sangamonensis).

Prairie Phlox benefits numerous species of wildlife. Its nectar feeds hummingbirds, many types of bees, butterflies and skippers, moths, and more. Swallowtails, Cloudywing Skippers, and American Painted Lady visit. Prairie Phlox is a host plant for the caterpillars of moths and butterflies, including Spotted Straw.

Plant in full sun to light shade in soil that has been amended with compost or other organic matter. For best results, keep well watered, especially when plants are setting up buds, blooming, and during dry spells.