Need help in identifying a wildflower.....

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I have the most beautiful stand of a particular wildflower along a fence. It is about 3 feet tall wil light purple flowers. The flowers look like a phlox. Could this be a wild phlox? Is there such a thing? Thanks!

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), May 11, 2002

Answers

I have phlox about that tall, didnt even know there was a ground cover phlox till last year. The tall one has been in my family for at least 4 generations

-- sopal (sopal@net-pert.com), May 11, 2002.

Yes, Annie..........there is a wild phlox, and I would imagine in your area it would have been blooming for a while, since mine is just starting to bud. Mine is as you describe yours and I dearly love it every year.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), May 11, 2002.

Thanks you all. Yep, Diane, it has been blooming for awhile. I'll miss it when it's gone because it is so pretty!!! I ought to take a picture of it. I hope that mine lasts for generations too Stan, and you know something funny, I don't like the creeping kind of phlox for some reason. Too scrawny looking or something.....weird, huh?

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), May 11, 2002.

Annie, check out this URL and see if this is what it is: Dame's Rocket

I have it in my yard. I thought it was a volunteer wild phlox, and I encouraged it for several years. Now, I'll probably dig it out where I can. The sad thing is, I think I introduced it to the yard. Somewhere years ago I was given a packet of seed for Dame's Rocket. I sprinkled it out in a bed, but don't ever remember seeing it come up there. Then the "wild phlox" showed up a few years later.

There's also a rather pretty climbing rose that came with the place that turns out to be the dreaded multiflora rose. {sigh} No wonder that thing survived being cut to the ground several times!

-- Joy F (Southern Wisconsin) (CatFlunky@excite.com), May 14, 2002.


That's not what mine looks like. How about you Annie?? Mine really looks like phlox, except less "refined". Sure wish I had a digital camera cause some of mine is almost ready to bloom.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), May 14, 2002.


Same here Diane. The leaves on my flowers are heavier looking than the one pictured. The only thing is, there are only 4 pedals on the flowers and in the link Joy gave (thanks Joy), it said Phlox had 5. So far, the flowers are right where I'd want them and are behaving themselves. I used to have alot of poke weed there and I'm hoping they'll choke out the poke weed!

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), May 15, 2002.

It is most likely dames rocket. It blooms in purple, lilac, pink, and white. It blooms in may. You see alot of it along the roads and in fields this time of year. I love it!!

-- rosemary (wildflower1@citynet.net), May 19, 2002.

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