Phloxes (130 photos): planting and caring for perennial flowers, use in garden design, how quickly they grow, growing in open ground

Review author: Terrari School of Design

We can safely say that Phlox remains a favorite in the country landscape. And all because the perennial is distinguished by its variety of colors, aroma and ability to decorate any flower beds.

70 species of phlox are now known. But only half of them are used. The most famous, of course, is Phlox paniculata, its varieties and hybrids have long gone ahead of their ancestors in terms of the wide variety of flower colors. Many of today's hybrids have been bred to be resistant to powdery mildew.

More than 1000 new flowers were developed in our country alone. The uncultivated form, in its natural habitat, grows everywhere.

Medium sized plants will look great alone or in a group

The height of a bush is its species: there are very small ones below 35 cm, and there are very tall varieties, above 160 cm. Which allows you to divide phloxes into groups, according to this criterion:

tall (up to 180 cm), flowering - summer and early autumn: Phlox paniculata;
bush, height up to 70 cm, beginning of flowering - from the end of April: thick-leaved phlox, f. hairy, etc.;
a transitional species, there are bush varieties and there are creeping varieties (up to 35 cm), flowering begins from April to July. Phlox spread apart (spread out) and phlox stoloniferous;
creeping plants, up to 15 cm in height, bloom from spring to mid-summer. F. awl-shaped, f. Douglas, etc.;
Drummond phlox, one of the favorite garden annuals, should be placed in a separate group. The height does not exceed 30 cm. The flower is painted in all sorts of colors and shades: from white to purple. Flowering is friendly and long. Propagates well by self-sowing.

Phlox awl-shaped is a perennial, no more than 17 cm in height. Flowering is early, late May. Forms a continuous carpet. The flowers are small, of different colors - from white to blue.

The plant looks very decorative due to its evergreen elongated leaves. Great for alpine slides. Popular varieties f. awl-shaped: Maishnee, Appel Blossum, Thumbelina, Candy stripes.

The individuality of each variety is also evident in the inflorescence. Plants differ in the shape and size of the inflorescence, as well as in the color of the flower. Breeders in many countries continue to work on flower color all the time. The color of various hybrids is impressive: white, coral, pink, red, crimson, purple, violet, lilac. There are Dutch hybrids that change color depending on the time of day.

general description

The genus represents more than 80 species of perennial and annual plants of the Sinyukhov family (Polemoniaceae), 40 grow successfully in gardens. Some species bloom in spring, others in summer and autumn. The flowers can be light blue, purple, pink, bright red or white. Many of them are fragrant.

The plant is herbaceous (sometimes woody at the base) with straight shoots up to 120 cm high, less often with creeping shoots. Five-petalled flowers, crowded in the upper inflorescences (thyroid, paniculate), rarely solitary.

The upper part of the petals is rounded or with indentations, their roots are fused into a long and thin tube. The crown tube contains 5 stamens of unequal length and one pistil.

Phlox leaves serve as food for the larvae of some lepidopteran species, including butterflies. Some plant species are also a popular food source for groundhogs, rabbits and deer.

Care

Spring

Perennial plantings of phlox require care. The old bush is divided and cuttings can begin. It's time to tie up tall varieties.
Spring is the time when you need to apply a complex fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen. In the absence of rain, watering is required.

Summer

If phloxes are planted on poor soils, then feed them with nitrogen again in June.
In July, water with an infusion of wood ash; after the phloxes have flowered, apply phosphorus-based fertilizer.
In summer, control over self-seeding is important. In order not to lose the characteristics of the variety, and to prolong flowering, you need to remove faded inflorescences. And don't forget to water.
Landscape design: giant varietal plants can fit perfectly into the background of a flower bed.

Autumn

In September it is time to divide the bush. Phloxes are cut to the ground.
For the winter, the bush is mulched and, if necessary, covered with additional material.

Advice. In order for the flowerbed to be decorative and blooming all season long, you should plant together: Phloxes, daylilies and peonies.

Cereals, monardas, and saplings are perfect for phloxes in pink, lilac, and purple tones.

How to care for fire flowers

Perennial phloxes, the photos and names of which are presented above, are not difficult to grow. Despite their stunning beauty, these flowers are absolutely unpretentious and require the simplest, but competent, care:

The soil under the bushes should be loosened regularly or organic mulch used.
Perennial phlox should be watered exclusively around the bush - water should not flow either under the root or along the leaf.
It is recommended to feed perennial phlox with organic matter (autumn) and potassium-phosphorus complexes (spring, summer).
It is better to propagate and plant new plants in the fall.
After flowering, the tops of the bushes must be trimmed so that the young inflorescences are large and abundant.

Advice! Although most varieties tolerate the Russian winter well, it is better to mulch the plant roots with sawdust, humus or straw in November.

Location and lighting

The plant can grow both in the sun and in the shade, but in the sun the phlox flowers will be better and the inflorescence itself will be more magnificent, while in the shade the flower will be duller and the inflorescences will be loose. But the shade will allow the phlox to bloom longer. In southern regions, shading is required.

Advice. In order for the plants to bloom for a long time, you should plant them in the “Sherbet Cocktail” or “Sherbet Blend” area - these varieties bloom for the longest time.

Landing

For perennial phlox, planting and care is as follows:

correct choice of cuttings;
landing time;
landing features;
bends;
division;
seeds.

The easiest way is cuttings. It is better to buy seedlings from professional flower growers. The best landing time is April-May.

In any case, build on the climatic characteristics of the region. In addition, perennials take root in the open ground, and already next September you can admire the flowering.

On the Internet you can see photos of different varieties of phlox with names. If you decide to use autumn planting, then this should be done long before frost. Otherwise the plant will freeze.

Temperature

In winter, down to -15°C (without snow cover), 2 weeks are enough for the growth buds to freeze out, and at -20...-25°C the rhizome will die irrevocably. To prevent this from happening, you should cover the wintering plant with bast leaves, not with woven material.

If there is up to half a meter of snow, the plant, without harming itself, can overwinter without additional shelter even at -35°C.

Humidity

Phlox love moisture, but cannot tolerate standing water at their roots. Lowlands, where water collects and stands for a long time, and where ice forms in cold weather, are not the place for them.

Advice. To avoid rotting of phlox roots when groundwater is shallow, it is necessary to plant the plant on a raised bed (up to 15 cm).

Growing from seeds

Seed cultivation occurs in early winter or November. You should level the soil, place the seeds on the frozen ground, cover with dry soil on top and wait for germination in the spring. Seedlings that have grown to 8 cm, after 2-3 leaves, are planted in a permanent place.

You can collect the seeds yourself when the seed pods turn brown. The still closed boxes are cut off. This is not the best way, as the varietal characteristics of the plant change.

Reproduction

Phlox reproduce in all sorts of ways.

Seeds

The flower produces good germination from self-sowing. But varietal affiliation disappears. This method is good for annual phlox drummondi.

Stem cuttings

The method is simple for beginner phlox lovers. A strong shoot is suitable for cuttings. Divide into cuttings with two nodes. The cuttings are planted in the ground. Water frequently - up to 3 times a day. After rooting, young shoots will emerge from the leaf axils.

Root cuttings

This method is best used in the spring. After digging up the flower, select a high-quality root and cut it into pieces. Place in a container with soil and cover from light. Keep at 15°C for 14 days. Then raise the temperature to 25°C and plant in the soil when sprouts appear.

Axillary buds

Along with a small piece of the stem, a leaf with a bud is cut off. This cutting is planted in the ground and covered with glass, the temperature is no more than 20°C. The substrate is wet. Rooting will occur in approximately 30 days if watering standards are observed.

Dividing the bush

The procedure is carried out in spring and autumn. The division of the bush begins at 6 years of age. The bush is dug up and taken apart. Planting is done immediately, watering is required. Phlox varieties are preserved in this way.

Method of dividing bushes

Usually phloxes are divided once every 4 or 5 years, preferably in the fall. However, everything depends on the plant variety and its agrotechnical cultivation. The rhizome can be divided when it has grown enough.

Dig up the bush, clear the root collars from the soil, and carefully disassemble them. Divide so that each part has eyes and roots. If you do not need many plants for replanting, it is better not to dig up the entire bush, but only part of it.

Diseases

If brown, loose spots appear on the stem, this is Phoma. With this disease, the leaves curl and dry out. The use of the drugs “Hom” and “Abiga-Peak” will help. The amount of mineral fertilizers should be applied. Those plants that are not deficient in phosphorus and potassium are resistant. But with an excess of nitrogen fertilizers, the immunity of phloxes weakens.

If not properly cared for, phlox will look depressed and weak; plants suffering from lack of water will develop powdery mildew. The disease begins from the lower part of the plant with the appearance of plaque on the leaves. Then the plaque darkens, and these spots cover the entire plant. Treatment - “Skor”, “Topaz”, “Ridomil Gold”