Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii has petals with rounded ends, while subsp. divaricata has petals with a notch at the end.

I bought one plant perhaps 4 years ago, and now have drifts in several areas of the yard. The flower color is very light, from blue-lavender to white, almost the color of the clear sky. The flowers are fragrant, and because I have so many, they're almost as fragrant as a lilac bush.

This is one of the few plants that really does well in dry shade. Minneapolis has sandy loam, and under the trees the soil is very dry unless it's watered. Once the phlox is established (after a year or two), it doesn't need watering in the summer.

I highly recommend planting this in drifts, because it looks best, and smells best, that way. Plant it around or over early spring bulbs (like Scilla, squill), and it will bloom just when they are finishing.

To make a clump larger, find the thick stems (not the thin flower stems) and push them down into the soil. Stick a pair of twigs into the ground on either side to hold them down. The thick stems will root, and send up a set of flower stems next year. You can also cut the thick stems off and root them as cuttings.

Because of its creeping stems, woodland phlox is a groundcover, and it doesn't grow well with another groundcover around it. It needs to have the leaves on its creeping stems uncovered so that they get sun. Don't try to grow it next to lamium or wild ginger.

Phlox will also self-seed. Leave the flowers on the plant (don't deadhead) and let the seeds ripen. When they are ripe, the seed pods shoot the seeds away from the parent plant. I've found seedlings in the lawn, and moved them into new areas of the garden. That's why I have so many plants. Maybe you can pick the seeds when they're ripe and plant them in pots, but I'm too lazy to do that.

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