Hi everyone.... I got Becky Towe (that's my photo above) when I 1st moved here & it only lasted 2 years. It's such a gorgeous plant & I was saddened that it didn't make it here. I'd love to ry it again tho. I have other phlox that do well & increase, but the variegated leaves really add a new dimension to the garden. I'd like to hear from others that grow it, or other variegated phlox as to how they do in other gardens.

Hi there, I had a similar experience growing Becky Towe, it only lasted 3 years and third and final year it came up thin and weak did off soon after. I live in zone 5b and the plant tag grown by Hertiage Perennials states its hardy to zone 3. I have had success with Nora Leigh who I've enjoyed in my garden for at least 6 years now and is going strong still and every year comes up bushy and tall with lots of pale pink flowers. The leaves do occasionally get a bit of scorch in August sometimes on the edges where it is white. For the past couple of years on all my garden phloxes I have been getting attacked by spider mites, I spray water on the undersides of the leaves to discourage the mites from staying. Anybody else gets these mites? It causes the leaves to turn yellow and then brown, affects flower production if infested early in the season. Any other control methods? Thanks

Same experience as acer5050.

Planted 3 or 4 'Becky Towe', in our garden: longest lasting was about four years.

Have one (variegated-leaf) 'Harlequin' that has, so far, done no more than linger for about four years.

Have planted a number of dozen 'Nora Leigh', in gardens I planted and maintained, including about a dozen in our own garden.
May have lost one or two, in total, over years (some over more than ten years).

The flowers of 'Nora Leigh' may not be that showy, but find that the foliage looks good, late in our growing season. It's quite late flowering for a tall garden phlox cultivar, at least here. Have wondered whether it's powdery mildew resistance may be related to that.

Re tall garden phlox maintenance: I do pay attention to keeping an air flow around the plants, to watering, to upgrading soil periodically and to taking out any powdery mildew infected parts , when seen, but I'd say, of several dozen different tall garden phlox cultivars that I've planted and maintained, 'Nora Leigh' is among the best. I, especially love the way it carries it's variegated foliage into the Fall, when colour in a mixed perennial bed may be getting sparse.

Forgot to mention 'Shockwave' (also variegated leaf). Definitely not as large and robust a plant as 'Nora Leigh', at least in our growing conditions: Had five: Longest lasting, about five years.