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Fothergilla gardenii Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardenii (Witch Alder). Photo © Mary Free
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Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)

Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox)
Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox) flower and bud
Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox) at Green Spring gardens
Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox)
Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox) at Winterthur Gardens
Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox) calyxes with glandular pubescence and developing fruit.
Densely glandular calyxes of Phlox divaricata fruit
Native Phlox divaricata ground cover

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This lovely wildflower is native to rich forests and fields in portions of the Mid-Atlantic Region including NoVA (except Prince William County). As the species name divaricata suggests, this shade-loving phlox has a spreading habit, making it a good woodland ground cover. Perennial Flowers En Masse, Close-up, Fruit, Mat Height: 3⁄4–11⁄2 foot Spread: 3⁄4–1 foot Bloom Color: Lavender, light blue-violet, pink, white Characteristics Mat-forming, evergreen herbaceous perennial Lance-shaped to elliptic, pubescent green leaves Pubescent to glandular-hairy stems: sterile stems can be decumbent; longer fertile stems erect Loose, flat clusters of delicately fragrant flowers (with tips notched/indented rather than rounded/ angular like the mid-western subspecies) and densely glandular calyxes bloom April to May Ovid seed capsules Can form colonies as shoots root at nodes Attributes Tolerates clay soil and drought Deer occasionally severely damage; rabbits may sometimes eat the foliage and voles the roots Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies like hair- streaks and swallowtails Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Rich, well-drained, organic Alliaria petiolata - Garlic Mustard Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Ficaria verna - Fig Buttercup Water Requirements: Moist Ornithogalum species - Star of Bethlehem May go dormant when it is too hot, dry or sunny Vinca minor - Periwinkle Powdery mildew and spider mites are problems so cut back stems after flowering Use as a ground cover in woodland gardens * It is native in DC. It is adventive (non-native, escaping from cultivation to roadsides) in DE and absent in the northeastern counties of PA. In VA, it is frequent to locally common in the mountains and Piedmont and rare in the inner Coastal Plain. Hardiness: USDA Zones 3–8 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Mary Free, Quarry Shade Garden

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox) 

This lovely wildflower is native to rich forests and fields in portions of the Mid-Atlantic Region including NoVA (except Prince William County).* As the species name divaricata suggests, this shade-loving phlox has a spreading habit, making it a good woodland ground cover.

* It is native in DC. It is adventive (non-native, escaping from cultivation to roadsides) in DE and absent in the northeastern counties of PA. In VA, it is frequent to locally common in the mountains and Piedmont and rare in the inner Coastal Plain.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets