05/01/2026
Hello friends! It’s been a while and tons of things have changed in my life since I last posted. We lost my mother to ALS in February so that’s been a huge adjustment for my whole family, particularly to my walker dependent, 83 year old dad who is now living by himself for the first time ever. Things are ok though and I’ve the moved to more of a caretaker role for my family. I haven’t lost my love for plants and wanted to show off one plant in my landscape beds that is really standing out.
This is Fashionably Early Crystal Phlox and is at its peak right about the time peonies come into bloom, which is late April/early May here in my zone 7b on the AL/TN stateline. I had this planted at the flower farm and moved some of the plants home when I landscaped last spring. It makes a fabulous cut filler type flower with good vase life and tall stems. See the last pic for height comparison to a 5 gal bucket. It spreads in the landscape but not aggressively, and will rebloom some throughout the summer if cut back. It is fine in full sun but can also do well in part shade too. I purchased a flat of plugs from a few years ago, but have seen this in some local nurseries and greenhouses this spring around Huntsville if you just needed a small quantity. It would make a great low maintenance addition to a cut flower garden/farm.
