PHLOX divaricata: Wild Sweet William

This Phlox is another of the heirloom, old fashioned flowers my son grew from seed.  It is not the tall, flamboyant phlox often planted at the back of a flower bed.  Rather, it is only only about 6" tall, & after I planted it, I wasn't sure it was going to make it. Then today, it has surprised with 
these blooms.  Then I started remembering when I grew it many years
ago.

I have always been fond of Phlox.  When I was in school I took an elective class call "Wildfowers, Trees & Ferns of Southern Illinois."  Every Friday morning,, in the cold, wet Spring, we went on field trips to the far corners of 
the county to learn about beautiful wild plants.  Once, we went to a
meadow & we were told to dig up the wildflowers there, because a dam would soon flood the area.  I took a small wildflower home & kept it in my dorm room, where the ephemeral woodland species actually thrived, on a window sill.

The wildflower was PHLOX divaricata, Wild Blue Woodland Phlox, AKA
Wild Sweet William that is native to forests & fields of eastern North America, but does well as an ornamental in a cultivated gardens.  It flourishes in bright shade with rich, moist well drained acid soil.  It blooms in late Spring & attracts butterflies, moths & bees. The color is different, but this plant is a close relative to the flower in my blip.

This class turned me into a passionate plant lover.  I enjoyed the class so much, I considered switching my major to Botany.  Instead,
I became a lifelong gardener, which is a much better choice.  I eventually studied to be a Master Garden in Michigan, & unleashed my "plant lust" onto our 1 acre lot with sandy, acid soil & different degrees of shade. 
There I grew the tall flamboyant phlox, just in front of oak trees, where the morning sun was just enough.  I have enjoyed seeing  your blips & am reminded of those perennials  & flowering shrubs I grew during those short Summers,  'Up North." .

Much of what I learned is still useful now that we live in California.. I am older now & wiser, so I can enjoy beautiful plants without needing to own them.  There are exceptions, including these heirloom flowers my son
grew from seed...