Phlox fabulous ‘Blue Dark Center’

We’ve been really impressed with this one in our alpine beds. Phlox ‘Fabulous Blue Dark Center’ forms a dense, evergreen cushion of fine, green leaves that stays neat all year. From April through to June, it’s covered in a mass of light violet-blue flowers, and each one has a very striking, dark lavender-purple eye. It’s a fantastic source of early colour that the bees appreciate.

This is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial, reaching about 15cm in height but spreading outwards to around 50cm. It’s a reliable performer that we’ve found does best in full sun and well-drained, even quite poor, soil. Once it’s settled in, it’s remarkably drought-tolerant. It doesn’t want to sit in wet ground, especially over winter.

To keep the plant looking its best and to maintain a dense shape, it’s a good idea to give it a light trim with shears after the flowers have finished. This is a classic choice for rock gardens, the top of dry-stone walls, gravel beds, or the very front edge of a sunny border where it can spill over a path.