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.
Preparing for winter
With the onset of autumn, it is time for gardeners to prepare for the arrival of frost. Among the perennial phlox there are many varieties that are not afraid of long winters. Zoned varieties are considered the most resistant, but varieties of foreign selection will not be able to survive without additional insulation.
Some gardeners dig up bushes on warm autumn days. Then the plants are packed into buckets, pots or boxes and transferred to the basement, where they will spend time until spring. This process is not justified due to excessive complexity and labor intensity. This option should be used when the seeds did not have time to ripen before the arrival of frost.
Phlox can easily overwinter in the garden if they are prepared in advance. This is done like this:
- From mid-October to early November, the ground part of the bushes is cut off. Some gardeners leave stumps (10–15 cm high), others cut the flower almost flush with the ground. In the first case, this can protect the renewal buds (they produce new shoots), but there is a risk that spores with diseases will overwinter on the stumps. In the second option this is impossible.
- It is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of the soil and the base of the plant. Especially if the phloxes have been exposed to fungal or viral diseases.
- After 10 days, the planting site is mulched with peat, garden soil or a layer of manure and humus. Cover cuttings that were planted this year especially carefully.
Before the shoots appear, the mound should be removed from the bush, leveling the hills.
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 achieve greater effect
To create attractive flower beds that delight home garden owners with long-lasting flowering, it is best to plant phlox surrounded by evergreen hostas, astilbes or cornflowers.
Important: spring-blooming varieties of phlox should be planted next to primrose and saxifrage.
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.
Effective combination with other colors
Many people are interested in the question: what colors do phlox go with? To highlight the beauty of an alpine hill, the walls of a house or a flower arrangement in flowerpots, ground cover plants are selected. And to create clear borders, preference is given to low-growing flowers.
Thanks to the huge variety of colors and heights, phlox combine harmoniously with different plants:
- daylilies;
- Heuchera;
- catnip;
- peonies;
- hosts;
- roses;
- gladioli;
- marigolds;
- fern.
For summer-autumn varieties, the following neighbors are selected: irises, cornflowers, lungwort, astilbe. For plants that bloom in spring, it is better to place them nearby: primroses, dwarf irises, lilies of the valley.
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.
Landing
Phlox planting. To grow seedlings at home, you first need to prepare the soil. Mix peat, river sand and black soil in equal parts and add a little wood ash.
- Select a planting box. Check that there are drainage holes at the bottom, otherwise make them yourself.
- Prepare the soil mixture and pour it into the box. The depth of the mixture should be about 15cm.
- Seed treatment is not required. Just scatter them evenly over the surface of the soil and lightly sprinkle with sand.
- The finished seedlings are watered, covered with film, and stored in a well-lit place at room temperature.
- Ventilate the seedlings every day, but no longer than 20 minutes. And also moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
- With the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed, and the box can be moved to a cooler place.
- Picking is usually not required, and the shoots are immediately planted on the site.
Landing dates
There are two short periods for transplanting seedlings into open ground. The first period, as you understand at the beginning of the season: usually the end of April, the beginning of May. But most of our country is still covered with snow at this time. Therefore, the second period will be more suitable for Russia: from the beginning to mid-September.
Selection of cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is a fairly simple way to grow seedlings. You can purchase cuttings or make them yourself if you have a suitable plant for this. You should buy cuttings either on recommendation, or from a trusted seller, or in a specialized store - otherwise, there is a chance that you will end up with an unscrupulous seller who has violated the conditions for caring for the cuttings and is selling them already infected with fungi.
Landing rules
Rules:
- If the weather was dry a few days before transplanting and the soil had time to dry out, then instead of digging it up, it is necessary to water it generously and loosen it with a cultivator to a depth of about 15 cm.
- Layout of planting in rows. The distance between rows should be about 70cm, and between plants in a row about 40cm.
- In some cases, seedlings are arranged in clumps of no more than 6 seedlings per square meter.
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).
Description of the flower
Phlox flowers are annual and perennial ornamental herbaceous plants of the Cynuaceae family. They come from North America - it is believed that due to this they are highly resistant to disease and cold. There are as many as 70 species in the genus, of which only 20 are subject to cultivation and selection.
From Greek “phlox” is translated as “flame”. This name was given to the plant by Karl Lineus himself, presumably because of the bright inflorescences.
The appearance of plants varies greatly from species to species. Among them there are both subshrubs and upright bushes. Some species bloom in spring, others in summer and even autumn. Some species look more like moss than flowers. Among the entire family you can find very small ones about 20 cm in height and mighty giants up to two meters in height. The shape of the leaves also varies greatly, and the flowers during the flowering period vary from two to four centimeters in diameter.
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.
Soil fertilization
- First feeding in April. To 10 liters of water add granules of nitrophosk or urea 20-30 g, per 1 m.
- Second feeding in mid-May. Mix 10 liters of water, 1 liter of mullein infusion or 500 g of chicken manure per 1 meter.
- In mid-June they feed for the third time. For 10 liters of water, 100 g of ash and 15 g of urea, per 1 m. Stimulates abundant flowering, enhances the color of the buds.
- The fourth feeding helps to resist fungal infections and is carried out at the end of June. To 10 liters of water add potassium sulfate 15 g, superphosphate 15 g, urea 5 g, per 1 m.
- Phloxes are fertilized for the fifth time in August. Mix 10 liters of water with 10 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of superphosphate, per 1 m.
To prevent roots and leaves from getting burned, fertilizers are poured after rainfall in cloudy weather. You need to pour at the root without getting on the stem and leaves.
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”
Advice: Remove and burn a plant infected with powdery mildew. Disinfect working tools.
Popular varieties
All phloxes are a unique culture, with their own characteristics and character. But, as always happens, some species are more loved by gardeners than others. For example: red wings, petticoats, blue dreams and albatrosses.
Red Wings
Want a large flower bed filled with bright pink flowers? Red wings are perfect for this! Not whimsical and not requiring special care, bushes no more than 20 cm high not only easily tolerate heat and cold snaps, but also bloom twice a season: at the beginning of summer and at the beginning of autumn.
Petticoat
Five Y-shaped white petals form the flowers of this interesting variety. Petticoats easily survive cold snaps and grow in soil consisting mainly of sand and pebbles. This feature can help out the gardener when there are no other options for planting something in such infertile soil.
Blue dreams
Small, neat and very frequent light blue flowers of this low-growing variety can cover both sunny and shaded areas of your garden like a carpet. The main flowering time is at the beginning of the season.
Albatross
Don't want to deal with diseased flowers? Although this variety does not guarantee complete freedom from such a possibility, it is much more resistant to diseases than its brothers in the family. In addition, the albatross has beautiful white, pink and bluish inflorescences with a diameter of about 4 cm. It also easily tolerates heat and cold.
Photos of phlox
Transfer
Basically, only perennial species are replanted and only after 4-5 years of growing in one place. In this case, replanting will rejuvenate the plants.
Bushes are replanted in several cases:
- if after rapid growth you need to thin out the flower bed,
- if the transplant is due to design ideas,
- if the perennial has been growing in the same place for about 3-5 years.
In other cases, it is recommended to avoid transplantation - phloxes tolerate it quite painfully.
Transplantation in case of illness
If the phloxes are sick, replanting may be necessary to improve the health of the bushes.
Transplantation is carried out in the fall, after flowering.
- The stems are carefully dug out along with a lump of earth on the roots and transferred to a new place.
- It is best to cover the transplanted bushes with something - for some time after transplantation the plants get sick, they have reduced immunity and resistance to cold.
Otherwise, transplantation is easy, and death is usually not observed.
Wintering
Preparing for winter will not take you much time. The stems are cut so that no more than 15 cm remain. All leaves and other plant remains must be carefully collected - they can become a breeding ground for pathogenic fungi. The remaining part of the stem is wrapped in agrofibre or burlap - several small holes are made in the fabric for ventilation. The ground around the stems is covered with straw or sawdust.
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