Phlox paniculata 'Norah Leigh'
Family - Polemoniaceae
Category - Perennial
Origin - Raised in England
Discovered By - Alan Bloom, Blooms of Bressingham
Season of Interest - Spring, Summer, Autumn
Hardiness - H7
Height - 1m
Width - 50cm
Location - The Cool Garden
Description: A herbaceous Perennial with a clump-forming habit and tall, upright stems. Ovate to lanceolate leaves are heavily variegated with irregular, creamy-white margins and mid-green centres. Scented, salverform flowers are a shade of pale, blush pink and each Bloom has a darker pink Eye. The Blooms are held in dense, domed panicles atop upright stems and are produced from mid to late summer. Good for use as cut flowers. The attractive foliage of this cultivar is just as prized, if not more so than the flowers.
Phlox paniculata 'Norah Leigh' is a sport of P. p. 'Border Gem' and was discovered in Broadwell, Gloucestershire.
Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Synonym - Phlox paniculata 'Darwin's Choice', P. p. 'Darwin's Joyce'
Flower:
Scented, salverform flowers are a shade of pale, blush pink and each bloom has a darker pink eye. The blooms are held in dense, domed panicles atop upright stems and are produced in July and August.
Flower colour: Pink
Flower shape: Salverform flowers held in panicles
Flowering time: July, August
Foliage:
Ovate to lanceolate leaves are heavily variegated with irregular, creamy-white margins and mid-green centres. The leaves are held in opposite pairs on the vertical stems.
Foliage Senescence: Deciduous
Foliage Shape: Ovate to lanceolate
Propagation:
Cuttings, division.
Cultivation:
Best in full sun to partial shade in fertile, moisture-retentive soil that is well-drained. The leaves may scorch in a position that is too bright.