Phlox is probably the garden's most under-appreciated plant.

The cottage classic is often dismissed as summer garden "filler," like baby's breath or leather fern in a bouquet. Older varieties, particularly, succumb to powdery mildew, making the plants unsightly. Many gardeners are reluctant to waste their time, even if the long-lasting flowers are scented, particularly on warm summer evenings.

Old-fashioned garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is getting a face lift, much in the same way that coneflowers have been revitalized. There are new, more vibrant colors appearing in the marketplace, and plants have renewed vigor and greater mildew resistance.

One of the newer ones is the Volcano phlox series, which is available in pink with a red eye, ruby, pink with a white eye, white, red and purple. They're hardy to Zone 4. I've grown purple and pink with white eye in my garden for a couple of years, and have noticed the plants are a bit stockier than most phlox and the flowers are clustered more closely together. They literally erupt with blooms from June through September. After the first bloom fades, trim back the stems to encourage new growth and blooms.

These garden phlox are from Tesselaar Plants, known for Flower Carpet Roses and "Bonfire" begonias. They're a nice companion for "David," the white phlox that won plant of the year in 2002 from the Perennial Plant Association. "David" has shinier leaves than most phlox and the flowers are very fragrant. Again, this phlox offers blooms throughout the summer months.

Another hardy garden phlox turning heads is "Sherbet Cocktail," developed by Dutch hybridizer Jan Verschoor. Introduced in 2007, this phlox inches us every closer to the prized yellow phlox. "Sherbet Cocktail" is yellow-budded on chocolate-maroon bracts and blooms are lavender(ish) with soft yellow occasionally showing through, and yellow edging. Florets, are clustered along rounded flower heads, and the plants have more impact when planted en masse.

The Cocktail family also includes "Purple Kiss," a purple-flowered phlox with a white center star and mildew resistance. It's a dwarf with large blooms, reaching just 15 inches high but with 5-inch flower clusters. The bicolor "Peppermint Twist" is another nice offering worth trying, while the Flame series of dwarf phlox cultivars packs a punch in a small package and comes in pink, white and purple.

"Eva Cullum" is a saucy phlox in bright pink with red eyes. These are disease-resistant, especially to powdery mildew, and offer lovely color. If you've got a yen for orange in your garden bed, "Orange Perfection" is as close as it gets. The eye-popping flower heads are compact but individual florets are rather large.

Don't overlook new hybrids of annual phlox (Phlox drummondii). The Intensia phlox series from Proven Winners are stand-outs. There are other series, too, including PowerPhlox, Astoria and 21st Century.

Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) lights up partially shaded sites, ideal planted in clumps or at the front of a shadier border. Suggestions from Iowa State University include "Fuller's White" and "Chattahoochee." Spotted phlox is an Iowa native, often seen along roadsides in northeast Iowa. Cultivars to try in the home garden include "Alpha," a rosy phlox with dark eyes, and "Rosalinde."

Moss phlox looks like a carpet in the garden. It is low-growing and bright, and prefers sun. Some gardeners call it "creeping" phlox but the true creeping phlox is Phlox stolonifera, named the 1990 perennial of the year.