The David Garden Phlox, otherwise known as the Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ or Border Phlox ‘David’, Fall Phlox ‘David’, Garden Phlox ‘David’, Perennial Phlox ‘David’, Summer Phlox ‘David’, is a popular perennial plant loved by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its average maintenance and fast growth, this perennial will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green-colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this David Garden Phlox Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
In order to take proper care of your David Garden Phlox you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The David Garden Phlox grows well with weekly watering is perfect and more frequent in extremely hot conditions.
- Light: Keep your Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the David Garden Phlox in soil with moist but well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of loam, chalk, and clay.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the David Garden Phlox this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the David Garden Phlox belongs to the Polemoniaceae family, the genus Phlox and the species Paniculata, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Phlox Paniculata ‘David’.
As with other Phlox’s, the David Garden Phlox is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The David Garden Phlox is a plant native to North America.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your David Garden Phlox. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 3a, 3b, 4b, 4a, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the David Garden Phlox is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, how big does the David Garden Phlox actually get? What should you expect in terms of size? Let’s dive right in…
The Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ can grow up to 3′ – 4′ (90cm – 120cm) in 3′ – 4′ (90cm – 120cm) and 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm).
These dimensions make the David Garden Phlox a relatively medium perennial compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 18″ – 24″ (45cm – 60cm) free so the David Garden Phlox can spread to its best extent.
Watering
In terms of watering, the David Garden Phlox is a fairly simple plant to take care of. This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ grows well with weekly watering is perfect and more frequent in extremely hot conditions.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your David Garden Phlox in soil with moist but well-draining to ground with good draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage and moist properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your David Garden Phlox then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your David Garden Phlox needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the David Garden Phlox prefers to have soil with good drainage, and moist properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of loam, chalk, and clay.
This is why most experts agree that the David Garden Phlox requires soil with clay, high organic matter, and loam (silt), which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Placement
In terms of light & exposure, the David Garden Phlox requires partial to full sun for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this perennial will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the David Garden Phlox will die back to the ground every year. However, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the summer (mid, late).
Flowers
You can expect your David Garden Phlox to flower around the summer and in the fall months from July to September (summer), and from October to December (fall).
In particular, this perennial is well known for its fragrant, flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The David Garden Phlox produces some beautiful white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the David Garden Phlox have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with the opposite organization in its leaves. You can expect the leaves from your Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The David Garden Phlox is well known for being able to attract butterflies, birds and hummingbirds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for clay soil, and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ will be fine.
Garden
Does your David Garden Phlox have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Phlox Paniculata ‘David’ owners agree that this perennial will look great in most cottage gardens of all types. Other owners consider that they compliment well most gardens of informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the David Garden Phlox’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders; others use it for landscaping in a cutting garden,
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy David Garden Phlox in your garden or home.
