Phlox paniculata 'Bright Eyes'

Each ½- to 1-inch flower is packed into a long, dome-shaped truss 6 to 9 inches long atop 5-inch lance-shaped leaves. Unlike many varieties, 'Bright Eyes' almost never needs staking to hold up its huge flowerheads, even as hummingbirds and butterflies flock to them for nectar in the sunny summer garden. Perfect as cutflowers, they are long-lasting on strong stems that won't flop as they mature.

The days when Hardy Garden Phlox flowered profusely for about 3 weeks and then packed it in for the season are gone -- 'Bright Eyes' is prepared to rebloom throughout early autumn, and is seldom out of flower all summer long. Songbirds visit it in autumn, and you might want to leave the final blooms on the plant and let them dry out -- the birds will appreciate a fall feast!

'Bright Eyes' reaches 18 to 24 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide in most climates. Like all Phlox, it is a heavy feeder, so give it well-enriched, well-drained garden soil with plenty of moisture all season long. It doesn't like to be too crowded, so let it breathe among other perennials in the sunny border. That said, it is quite dependable and always an over-achiever, giving you larger and more abundant blooms than you expect. No wonder it earned the Award of the Garden Merit from the Royal Horticulture Society in 1993! You will soon find that it is one of your favorites, too. Zones 4-8.