Phlox 'Plumtastic' and the related 'Strawberries and Cream' take moss phlox breeding in a completely new direction. These hybrids produce novel flower colors not found in Phlox subulata, as well as flowers that deepen in color as they age, unlike P. subulata whose flowers can fade over time. Reliably lower-growing and possessing possibly higher pH and salt tolerance than P. subulata add to their novelty. The key was crossing Phlox subulata with the western species Phlox kelseyi, which is a deciduous, mat-forming species found in high salinity and high pH, seasonally wet habitats in Idaho and Montana. A tough species for durable hybrids. While P. kelseyi is temperamental in cultivation in the eastern and Midwestern U.S., it has imparted novel traits in these two hybrids.

'Plumtastic' blooms for four weeks, starting in late April to early May in northern Illinois (USDA Zone 5). Test plants were covered 90% with flowers at peak bloom in mid-May. The 3/4-inch wide flowers are a light violet pink with a distinct white eye upon opening, but age to a medium to dark rose-violet, without any eye remaining. The petals are also very broad, resulting in full flowers. The creeping, slowly-spreading plants are lower and denser than most moss Phlox, growing to 2 1/2” tall by 16” wide after three years. The plant habit takes after the Phlox kelseyi parent. Small, tightly clustered leaves have remained evergreen every winter, and the plants have exhibited the least amount of winter damage of practically all Phlox in our breeding program to date. Selected by Dr. Jim Ault at Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois. Hardy to USDA Zones 4 – 8.

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