Unknown Garden Shrub: purple flowers with pale centres

[poschiavanus]

Failure to identify this rather striking shrub at the bottom of the road is beginning to irk me. About 3 feet tall, winter hardy. I think it's evergreen.

Leaves are entire and opposite. Flower seems like the pink family, 5 petalled, but I haven't got any closer than the photo. The location is a bit too public to nick a flower for more detail examination.

[Dorts]

It's herbaceous Phlox - Phlox paniculata var. It is a good old-fashioned border plant, now somewhat out of fashion.
Comes in a range of colours.
Dorts.

[poschiavanus]

Thanks very much Dorts, can sleep sound now.

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Dorts

It's herbaceous Phlox - Phlox paniculata var. It is a good old-fashioned border plant, now somewhat out of fashion.
Comes in a range of colours. Dorts.

Actually has been quite heavily marketed by some of the big online retailers over the past three years; ten years ago it was only available from a few specialist nurseries - so I guess it's 'back in fashion' . Seems to be quite a good 'moth' plant, although largely ignored by bees and other daytime insects.

CM

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by Cotham Marble

Actually has been quite heavily marketed by some of the big online retailers over the past three years; ten years ago it was only available from a few specialist nurseries - so I guess it's 'back in fashion' . Seems to be quite a good 'moth' plant, although largely ignored by bees and other daytime insects. CM

Thanks for putting me in the picture CM. (Job to keep pace with this modern life). Everything comes around.

Phlox is a great plant for the border and if it is 'now back in fashion' that's great and I would recommend it. It's easy to grow, 'trouble free' and very attractive.
Dorts.

[poschiavanus]

I had another look through my old RHS tome, and there's a cultivar called P. paniculata 'La Mahdi' which looks similar, although the flower centres are not as pale.

I'd missed it because the book orders everything by colour and the Phlox page was too pink for me to dwell on it. I vaguely remember in one of the Monty Don programmes him remarking about one garden (in Darjeeling IIRC) having Phlox, just like a garden from his childhood.