Can phlox change colour?

last year and the year before the phlox in our garden was bright white. But this year it's much taller and the flowers are purple. Has anyone else noticed this?

Can phlox change colour?
Hard to find any straight answer to that Kerry





Some plants do flower in different colours at different times of the year. Found this info on phlox - it's a great decorative plant





edit - sorry Kerry, took me a while to find some info. No personal knowledge to draw upon. Hoping the star will bring in our mutual friend and keen gardener (Bernie)


ta for the TU
Reply:Hybrid Phlox does have a tendency to revert to the species type. Often this will be seen primarily in the self sown seedlings, but it can happen in the mother plant as well. I've never minded it in the seedlings but it is annoying in the plant I thought I bought. I've had it happen in hybrid lilies also. I never have the heart to remove them so I just learn to like them as they are. In my opinion there's no such thing as a bad phlox anyway!
Reply:If it's the annual variety the colours will vary from year to year as they fertilise each other. Originally a wild flower from the Americas I think, and like other flowers introduced to gardens they carry the genes of all the colours that have been developed.
Reply:That can happen at times it may be a change in the soil and I think it happens more if they are the ones that smell nice, you might find that next year they will be a white with bit of pink in the middle. They are nice to cut and take indoors.
Reply:It was me, I painted them all a different colour just to confuse you...I see it worked! lol!
Reply:wow I love purple flowers my favorite...
Reply:well birds carry pollen, and bees do, they could have caused this change of colour

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