THINGS TO COME
My favourite arrangements are often those composed of a single plant, rather than a combination of two or more. The unfussiness of the single plant display allows your attention to focus on the detail; be that the weathered patterning of a trough or the composition of the flowers. But it does mean you constantly need to think a season ahead to ensure you have a seamless display of colour, so even before April’s plants fade I will have planted up the phlox to be ready for June.
How to achieve the look
When introducing any new plants into the garden, my philosophy is always is to plant only the best things and only the best forms of the best things. One recent introduction is the purple Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii ‘Chattahoochee’. It’s the perfect choice for this kind of singleton living, having impeccable manners and every quality you could wish for, yet holding it all in perfect balance. It can sometimes be a little tricky to cultivate, especially if you decide, as I have done, to grow it in a container, but its profusion of delicately scented blue flowers with crimson centres are so instantly desirable and utterly irresistible it’s worth the effort. Its stems are brittle but threading a small cage of light pea sticks through the plant for support can help. Also be careful when watering that you don’t splash too much water on the foliage as this can sometimes lead to rot. When you’re considering an arrangement that uses just one plant, you should consider what type of pot or container to use as carefully as the plant itself. It must be a pot that already has, or one to which you’re happy to add, drainage holes. With troughs it’s also important to ensure the drainage hole is kept open by using crocks. I’ve used a raised sink that Vita herself installed at Sissinghurst. It’s next to the Library door so the delicate perfume of the phlox gently ambushes you as you enter or leave. It’s also east facing, which seems to provide the phlox with just the right amount of light and shade it likes.
Plant
1 Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii ‘Chattahoochee’ A low-growing, spreading phlox with willowy stems topped with loose clusters of large, slightly fragrant, tubular, pale-lavenderblue flowers that have maroon throats. It likes a position sheltered from the wind and a well-drained soil that doesn’t dry out. 30cm. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b.