Plants don’t have legs, so how do they get from A to B? And why? In other words, how has something like phlox, which grew wild originally in the United States, ended up living a cosmopolitan life almost everywhere around the globe? The answer comes down to us plant lovers, the people who look for lovely things to add to our gardens, balcony pots and window boxes – anywhere we can squeeze them in. Here’s the story of how Volcano Phlox has travelled far and wide…

When the first European settlers landed in the United States and began to take a look around, they would certainly have seen phlox. It’s probably safe to guess that they planted some around their settlements, and it wouldn’t have been long before samples were being sent ‘home’ to the ‘old world’ to share with family, friends and botanists. We know from records kept that examples of wild Phlox paniculata grew in moist stream banks and wooded areas in Virginia, and specimens travelled on returning ships in the early 1800s firstly to England and then to France. From there, those glorious phlox plants would have gone anywhere and everywhere.

And that’s because phlox were very good looking. Yes the original forms were probably a bit lanky and prone to powdery mildew but they were astonishingly lovely and, to plant collectors and gardeners, they were new and exotic. Fast forward to the 19^th and 20^th centuries and those wild-caught phlox had been selectively played with over the years by plant breeders in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States to create the modern phlox options that we enjoy today. Case in point, Volcano^™ Phlox are strong and sturdy and very good at holding their many flowering heads up high. They’re also much better able to dodge the dreaded mildew, especially if you water them at ground level with a soaker hose. Plant breeders also had a lot of fun producing colour options – to the point where there are almost too many options to choose from – Volcano phlox has nine!