The perennial phlox flower owes its name to the naturalist Karl Linnaeus – it was he who gave the plants the name “floko” (from Greek “flame”) for the scarlet color of the original form. According to legend, where the torches of the sailors of Odysseus fell to the ground, wonderful flowers of bright red color grew. All types of perennial phlox are native to Canada, and annual species came to Europe from the United States.
How to grow perennial styloid phlox?
Phloxes are one of the best beautifully, long lasting and abundantly flowering plants.
There are about 600 species of phlox, of which only one species (Drummond’s phlox) is annual, all other species are perennial.
Perennial phloxes can be divided into spring, early summer and summer-autumn according to flowering periods.
The spring-flowering phlox is subulate, or turfy, with creeping, ascending and thin shoots. Strongly branched stems form dense sods 12-15 cm high. Leaves are small, subulate, bluish-green in color.
As you can see in the photo, these perennial phloxes have flowers of pink, blue, white, bright purple, reddish pink, purple and other colors:
Flowering is abundant and long (30-35 days).
The blooming of subulate phlox is an unforgettable sight. It is the best plant for alpine slides, flower beds, rabatki, mixborders, where it creates colorful spots from which it is impossible to take your eyes off. And after flowering, the plant retains its decorative effect.
Reproduction of subulate phlox is carried out by dividing the bush, layering or cuttings. Cuttings are taken from the apical or middle part of the shoots. They are rooted in boxes or in beds with sandy soil, shading from direct sunlight. In faded plants, shoots are sprinkled on the edges of the sods with loose nutritious soil. By the spring they take root.
When growing subulate phlox, you need to prepare the soil rich in nutrients, loose, sufficiently moist. The plant is light-loving. Does not tolerate strong shading and waterlogging.
Phlox spread wide and Anders
Split phlox is less common than subulate phlox. Forms compact bushes 20-30 cm high. Stems are creeping, ascending. Leaves are ovoid.
Look at the photo of this type of phlox – its flowers have a bluish tint, fragrant, collected in hemispherical inflorescences:
There is a garden form with white and dark purple flowers. Blooms from mid-May for 2-3 weeks. Planted in well-lit places in moderately moist, loose, nutritious soil.
Planting and caring for perennial phlox is carried out in the same way as for styloid phlox.
Used as a curb plant, on alpine hills, rocky areas. Sometimes used for cutting.
Phlox Anders belongs to the group of early summer phlox. It is a hybrid of wide-spread phlox and paniculate phlox. Forms a compact bush 25-35 cm high. Stems are thin, weakly branching. The leaves are shaped like the leaves of paniculata phlox. Flowers are collected in a loose panicle.
There are varieties with lilac-blue, pink, red , white flowers .
Blooms from late May to mid June for 35-40 days. Among amateur gardeners, it is less common than paniculate phlox, although it has high decorative qualities.
They are planted in separate groups or in arrays against the background of shrubs, along the paths.
Planting and caring for perennial paniculate phlox (with photo)
Perennial paniculata phlox is the most common in horticultural culture, which has numerous forms and varieties. It is a summer-autumn-flowering plant. The bush is upright, from 40 to 150 cm high. The stems are densely leafy, semi-lignified at the base by autumn.
Leaves are lanceolate, opposite. The flowers are white, red, pink, violet, lilac, purple in various tones. They are collected, depending on the variety, in paniculate, umbellate, spherical, cylindrical and other inflorescences. Abundant flowering, its duration is 1-1.5 months. The bush is multi-stemmed. Numerous roots are thin, fibrous. From the buds located on the root collars, shoots are constantly developing, as a result, the “root” grows upward and the buds located above the ground can freeze out in cold winters. Therefore, phloxes should be periodically sprinkled with earth and divided every 3-4 years.
Phlox frosted is an unpretentious plant, but grows best in loose, well-fertilized, moist soil. Before planting, they dig up the earth and add humus, decomposed peat, compost, as well as complex mineral fertilizer.
When planting and caring for paniculate phlox, semi-shady places are chosen, morning and evening sunlight is most favorable for it. In the shade, it blooms poorly, in the bright sun, dark and red flowers fade.
A healthy material prepared for planting with 3-5 young shoots and a well-developed root system is planted at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other. Planted in spring (April) and autumn (September). When planting in holes (shallow), the roots are straightened, covered with damp earth, the upper roots are buried by 1 cm. The soil around the plants is compacted with hands, small holes are made and watered.
Even flowering plants can be transplanted. It is better to do this in cloudy weather, early in the morning or in the evening, and then water abundantly for 1-2 weeks.
Phloxes can tolerate insufficient care, but with good care, they significantly improve their decorative qualities.
The main thing is regular watering, feeding with infusions of mullein or bird droppings, alternating with fertilizing with mineral fertilizer; loosening, weeding, removing weeds and wilted inflorescences.
Paniculata phlox is propagated mainly by dividing bushes, by cuttings of shoots, and seed propagation is used to obtain new varieties.
Cuttings are best taken from spring growing shoots. When the shoots reach a height of 8-10 cm, they are broken out with the heel and immediately planted. Previously, the ground around the mother bush is lightly raked with hands. This work must be carried out in the evening. Cuttings are planted in a distribution bed with loose light earth at a distance of 8-10 cm. The bed is placed in partial shade. The cuttings are watered, covered with plastic bottles or film. During rooting, water and spray regularly. Rooted cuttings are planted in a permanent place.
Here you can see a photo of planting and reproduction of paniculate phlox in the middle lane:
Currently, there are more than 1500 varieties of phlox paniculata. In terms of flowering time, they are divided into early (beginning of flowering late June – early July), medium (bloom in late July – early August), late (bloom in mid-August).
By selecting varieties by flowering time, you can create a continuous flowering area from May to the end of September.
Phlox is used in clean and mixed group plantings, rabatki, mixborders, flower beds.
