With so many things coming into bloom this time of year, it's so easy to feel overwhelmed. Not only overwhelmed by all the flowers, but by all the work that seems to hit us all at once like a train... all the weeding, all the plants we want to get into the ground. If you've not noticed, I'm prone to overstimulation.
But I'd like us to step back and notice something small. Even though the impulse is to run around crazy like a chicken, it is important to understand 1) it's never going to be "finished"
2) we must accept the incompleteness/messiness of it all 3) and take time to appreciate something in bloom. Narrow your focus on something small and beautiful! Life is fluttering by, so make sure you fully inhabit it.
With that being said, I'd like to draw your attention to a plant that's just now in its floral prime. Phlox divaricata (woodland blue phlox) not only offers a magnitude of blooms, but it also exudes a delicious floral aroma. The clean scent of Spring.
Wild blue phlox is a plant endemic to our eastern US forests and was probably very common before all the deer and development. But it still can be found on rich forest slopes throughout the Piedmont and mountains, albeit infrequently. Luckily, this species is routinely propagated and sold at native and specialty nurseries. I've found it growing wild only a mile away from my mom's house in Hillsboro, Ga. Now I have it in numerous places because of its ability to seed around and easily be divided.
Woodland phlox likes reasonably rich soils and ample moisture, though not saturated soils. It can even grow in full sun, but it seems to look most harmonious or "natural" in a woodland setting. Of all my wild spring ephemerals, this is probably the showiest for the longest amount of time. It starts in March and can continue until early April.
Though it remains evergreen throughout the year it goes into a quasi-summer dormancy. After the flowers fade, I like to collect and scatter the seeds. Wait till a month after flowering, then clip off the drying seed heads and scatter them in places you'd like to see more phlox.
This is an easy way to ensure you'll have blue phlox indefinitely. This is also an easy species to divide and propagate because every lateral shoot will root and is constantly creeping outward. Just get your trowel and dig out a plug.
In addition to my locally propagated strain, there are numerous cultivars. And most bloom on the blue-to-purple spectrum. However, 'May Breeze' and 'Fuller's White' produce white flowers. I'd like to collect as many cultivars as I can, but I probably should practice restraint as my bank account has seen better days!
Anyway, I hope you either grow this plant or are made aware of just how wonderful and easy it is... Like I said above, please take time to enjoy each little gem that comes into flower, and try not to worry about all those chores that you haven't gotten to. Accept that there will always be more to do, so missing something isn't such a big deal. But missing out on appreciating the ephemeral beauty of a wildflower is somewhat tragic.
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