General Culture:

Grow in moderately fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Best in full sun. Prefers rich, moist, organic soils. Needs good air circulation (space well and thin out stems as needed) to help combat potential powdery mildew problems. Intolerant of drought and needs to be watered in dry spells. Avoid overhead watering however. Appreciates a summer mulch which helps keep the root zone cool. Remove faded flower panicles to prolong bloom period and to prevent unwanted self-seeding. ‘Becky Towe’ is a patented plant that does not come true from seed.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

‘Becky Towe’ is a compact garden phlox cultivar that is noted for its gold-margined variegated leaves, bronze growing tips on spring foliage and salmony carmine-rose flowers. In 1990, it was discovered growing as a sport of Phlox paniculata ‘Windsor’ in the Ludlow, Shropshire, England garden of June Towe who promptly named it after her dog. It typically grows in an upright clump to 2’ tall. Narrow, opposite, pointed, lance-shaped leaves (to 5” long) are green in the center with golden edges. Spring leaves are tipped with bronze. Fragrant, tubular flowers (1/2” to 1” diameter) with long corolla tubes and five flat petal-like lobes are salmony carmine-rose with darker magenta eyes. Individual flowers are densely arranged in large, terminal, pyramidal clusters (panicles to 8” long) atop stiff, upright stems which seldom need staking. Long mid to late summer bloom sometimes extends into early fall. Good fresh cut flower. The name phlox is derived from the Greek word for flame. U. S. Plant Patent PP12,908 was issued on September 3, 2002.