Phlox ‘Minnie Pearl’

* Common name: Phlox ‘Minnie Pearl’

* Botanical name: Phlox carolina ‘Minnie Pearl’

* What it is: Most perennial phlox varieties claim to be resistant to the dreaded powdery mildew disease, but most get it to some degree when summer turns humid. ‘Minnie Pearl’ is a hybrid that fights off mildew better than almost all and blooms very heavily in white for about two months from May into July… and sometimes beyond.

Named after the country singer, ‘Minnie Pearl’ is a naturally occurring U.S. native that was discovered growing along a roadside in Mississippi. It’s attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

* Size: Stays under 2 feet tall, which is shorter than most phlox varieties. Space 2 feet apart.

* Where to use: Excellent choice for summer color in any perennial garden or mixed garden. It’s also an excellent choice in a pollinator garden. And it’s compact and attractive enough to use as a house-foundation perennial in south- or west-facing exposures. Flowers best in full sun.

* Care: Keep damp the first season, then water usually not needed. Scatter a balanced, organic granular fertilizer over the bed early each spring and once again in June. Snip off flower clusters after bloom to neaten the plant.

Cut to the ground after frost browns the foliage in fall or at the end of winter. Dig and divide sections in early spring to expand widening clusters.

* Great partners: Dwarf Russian sage overlaps bloom time and color-coordinates in purple. Panicle hydrangeas, such as Pinky Winky, Limelight, Quick Fire, Bobo, Little Lime and Little Quick Fire, are good shrub partners.