Use & Care NotesCompanion Plants
Luminary® Backlight Garden Phlox: Pure White for Evening Glow
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Luminary® Backlight garden phlox carries crisp, dome-shaped heads of pure white flowers on a full, tidy plant about 28 to 30 inches tall. White is one of the most requested phlox colors for good reason: it brightens the midsummer border by day and seems to glow on its own as the light fades. On warm evenings the flowers also give off the sweet, spicy-clove fragrance garden phlox is loved for.
Backlight at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Phlox paniculata Luminary® Backlight |
| Flowers | Pure white, about 1 inch, in dome-shaped heads |
| Foliage | Dark green, powdery mildew resistant |
| Size | 28 to 30 inches tall, 20 to 24 inches wide |
| Bloom | Early July, peaks late July, about five weeks plus rebloom |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 8 |
| Fragrance | Sweet and spicy, strongest on warm evenings |
| Deer | Susceptible |
A moonlight border next to the lavender
Phlox and lavender both love sun, but phlox wants richer soil and more regular water. The best arrangement is an adjacent cottage border: lavender in the lean, sunny, fast-draining strip, and Backlight in a bed beside it with compost worked in and a hose within reach. Backlight starts flowering in early July, right as the first lavender bloom winds down, so the white picks up the show without a gap.
If you sit outside in the evening, plant it where you can see it from the porch or patio. White phlox, silver lavender foliage and other white flowers make a simple moonlight garden. Sketch it in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Light: full sun gives the most flowers and healthiest leaves; part shade is fine.
- Soil: average to fertile, kept evenly moist.
- Water: deeply in dry spells. In drought or reflected heat from pavement, lower leaves yellow and drop.
- Airflow: it resists powdery mildew even in hot, humid weather; good spacing makes that resistance work even better.
- Pests: spider mites can bronze leaves in hot, dry spells. Steady watering helps.
Deadheading and dividing
Snip off each spent flower cluster just above a set of leaves, and side shoots will bring a second, smaller round of flowers. Every few years in spring, divide the clump to keep it vigorous. In fall, cut stems to the ground after a hard frost, or in early spring, and clear away the debris to reduce disease carryover. It is fully hardy in Michigan without protection.
White flowers for bouquets
Backlight is rated good as a cut flower. Cut stems when about half the flowers in a head are open, strip the lower leaves and put them straight into water. White phlox and a handful of fresh lavender stems make a classic summer arrangement.
Frequently asked questions
Does white phlox show mildew more?
Any mildew is easy to spot on dark leaves, but Backlight was selected for strong powdery mildew resistance, so it stays clean in most summers with decent airflow.
Do pollinators visit white phlox?
Yes. Its pollinator rating is great, and butterflies and bees work the flowers through the summer.
Plug tray or bare root?
The 72-cell plug tray suits growers and long borders; the bare root plant is the easy choice for a home garden. See each product page for current availability.
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