My Corner Online

Flower Index Index by Family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6

Phlox divaricata laphamii | Wild Sweet William, Woodland Phlox, Wild Blue Phlox

2017 March 30

2018 April 18

2019 April 9 (also transplated to back yard)

2020 April 1

2022 April 12

2024 March 16

Phlox divaricata laphamii | Wild Sweet William, Woodland Phlox, Wild Blue Phlox

Polemoniaceae (Jacob's Ladder or Phlox family)(Pronounced pol-uh-MOH-nee-ay-see-eye

Pronounced Floks Deh-VARE-eh-KAY-tuh which means "with a spreading or straggling habit."

This is a native plant in Missouri and can be found along the hiking trails. My neighbor, Lou, gave me mine years ago and she told me at that time that it was not sold in stores, so it was hard to get, especially since you should not dig it or pick it in the wild. I think she was right, but now I believe I have seen it in the stores occasionally.

This is one of my favorite flowers because I love the shade of purple that just pops and that fact that it can be found on hiking trails. I am always hearing people exclaim along the trail pointing to these flowers and I love to exclaim back, "those are Wild Sweet William!" and feel good that I just taught someone something.

There are two subspecies. The first is Phlox divaricata ssp. Divaricata which has petals notched at the tip. The second is Phlox divicata ssp. Laphamii which has petals without a notch. I am not sure which mine is because the tip is notched outward rather than like it is cut into the petal, but yet it does not look like the Laphamii I see online.

Just like my Moss Phlox, the notch is like someone snipped a 'v' into the end of the tip. My Wild Sweet William looks like it may have an inverted notch, with a point outwards, but that is not the same.

My phlox does spread, but it does so very slowly. I have been able to divide it in the early Spring before it blooms to propagate it. It blooms faithfully year after year.

The leaves are lance-shaped, opposite each other on the stem, and stay green all garden season making a nice mound in the flower beds. I use a pair of scissors to deadhead the plant after it blooms. The stems are "decumbent" which is a new word to me meaning that the stems are lying along the ground and then begin an extreme curving upward.

The flowers are tubular with 5 lobes sort of in a heart-shape. Only insects with long tongues can reach far enough down into the flower tubes to get the nectar. Therefore, butterflies, skippers, and moths, and some bees with long tongues like bumble bees, are able to pollinate this plant.

It is said that rabbits and deer like to eat Wild Sweet William, but I have never had a problem.

There is another plant called Wild Sweet William which is Phlox maculata, but it does not look anything like my plant as it has a shape more like a Hyacinth in the round and is also taller.

2024

The flowers are blurry here, but this shows how the leaves are opposite each other on the stem.

This shows what the flowers look like before they bud out. Interesting, huh?

This is a close up to show that mine has an outward tip, but not an inward notch.

This shows the leaves opposite each other on the stem and I can see they are hairy! I also spy a bug.

2022

Those are Lily of the Valley leaves in front of the Wild Sweet William.

2020

That is lemon balm so tall in the front and my white bowl is not big enough for them as I get read to cut them to dry them. The allium and tulips are beautiful behind the Wild Sweet William.

2019