With a sharp spade, just chop and replant, perhaps a little deeper than before. 0. For best results, however, plant it in a sunny location where soils are moist but well drained. Some cultivars have greater mildew resistance, and horticultural trials in the United States suggest that Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’ is one of the best types to grow in badly affected gardens. It produces panicles of very fragrant, vibrant, orange-red flowers in mid summer. Purchase creeping phlox starter plants at a garden center or nursery. Q The phlox smells lovely at the far end of my border – will it do well in the vase if I use it in an arrangement for the table? One of the more popular white varieties of phlox, ‘White Admiral’ is upright and grows up to 90cm in height. Phlox bifida ‘Ralph Haywood’ bears large blue flowers in late spring. If mildew does affect the plant, it is best cut down to soil level. Going forward, use a high potassium fertiliser such as sulphate of potash or tomato feed in late summer. The name ‘phlox’ comes from the Greek for flame, perhaps making reference to the wild species’ vivid flower colours. Phlox grows well in full sunshine provided it has freely available moisture. Add the compost to a 2 to 4-inch surface on this bed. Best of all, phlox is a fragrant perennial plant that has an extended blooming period from July through September. When spring arrives cut back hard to thin the phlox, just leave 4 stalks. Exclusive offer from gardenersworld.com shopping deals, Get £10 off the fantastic 1000W Cooks Professional Stand Mixer, Whip up some of your best bakes yet with this powerful and easy-to-use stand mixer, Subscribe to BBC Gardeners' World Magazine and receive 12 issues for only £39.99 - saving 39%. 'Stella' bears beautiful blossom in early March, then from mid-July, plump, sweetly flavoured fruits can be picked. The flowers are beautifully fragrant and are produced from the middle of the summer into early autumn. Botanical name: Phlox Common name: Perennial phlox Border phlox are a popular choice for cottage-style gardens and romantic herbaceous borders. It has dark green leaves and terminal panicles of fragrant, white-eyed, light lilac flowers with pale-edges to the petals. Flowering over a long period, phlox are hardy, easy to grow and many don’t require staking. Gardeners have always enjoyed border phlox. Full sun Phlox prefer full sun, but will tolerate light shade. This species is an erect herbaceous perennial with oval or lance-shaped leaves. ‘Prince of Orange’ is an erect, herbaceous perennial up to 80cm tall. Phlox ‘Purple Eye Flame’ grows to a height of 40cm and has fragrant purple flowers with a white ‘eye’. Perennial bearing scented rosy purple flowers with deep pink centres Aug-Oct. Ht 90cm. It’s perfect for growing in a night garden, where you can sit and enjoy its intense fragrance on summer evenings. The scented varieties have a gorgeous heady perfume and phlox plants come in a huge assortment of colours. Get your spring-flowering bulb display off to the best start, with a 200 in-the-green collection. This article focuses on caring for the upright, herbaceous, perennial phloxes. Prepare a garden bed with the help of a garden fork, so that the soil becomes loose from 12 to 15 inches. Height: 90cm (36"). Split stems or distorted, misshaped leaves are likely to be signs of stem and leaf eelworm infestation. Once blooming occurs deadhead dying flowers to prolong the season. Deadhead the plant and take out any damaged or untidy stems through the summer to encourage fresh growth and more flowers. While it grows tall and looks healthy, it has never flowered. Growing to 75cm tall, ‘Mother of Pearl’ has fragrant, white flowers infused with delicate tinges of a blush-pink colour. Keep the cuttings moist but not over-wet, moving the tray to a well-lit position once the green shoots emerge. Less light and they will grow with poor vigour and be susceptible to mildew. Slugs can be a problem with fresh spring growth. Add a general purpose fertilizer when planting phlox seeds, then continue to do so once a month. Ensure the compost in the pot matches the level of the surrounding soil when preparing the hole and planting out. There is no sign of mildew or leaf distortion. It has the typical green, lance-shaped phlox leaves and scented, purple flowers with a white star at the centre during mid to late summer. Phlox Varieties. Whilst it is normally important to remember which way up the cutting was on the plant, any confusion can be avoided with phlox root cuttings by laying them flat in rows onto a 50:50 mix of potting compost and horticultural grit in a seed tray. Creeping phlox is a popular flowering perennial which is often observed growing around the perimeter of a garden or yard as a garden border. The best way to prevent mildew is to keep the soil rich by mulching generously in the spring. Pruning Phlox. Phlox has rather fine roots that are a bit more fiddly to take cuttings from, but the technique is generally successful. Available to buy online in the UK. Cover them shallowly with compost. Propagation of the cultivars is easiest by division or root cuttings. During dry periods, water phlox once or twice a week. They will need digging up and dividing every 3 – 5 years as the centre will become woody and produce few flowers. 3 compost to give the plants a boost. The plants not only produce an abundance of colour but also a delicious fragrance that evokes the very essence of a traditional English cottage garden. ‘Monica Lynden-Bell’ is another shorter variety, reaching up to 80cm in height. It’s ideal for growing in large clumps at the edge of a border or beneath deciduous trees. Replacement phlox plants should be grown elsewhere in the garden, and good garden hygiene imposed, removing all dead leaves. Phlox subulata 'Pharao Blue Eye' (Alpine phlox 'Pharao Blue Eye') will reach a height of 0.15m and a spread of 0.45m after 5-10 years. The rounded heads of fragrant, dark-eyed violet-blue flowers appear in early summer, and bring a lovely early fragrance to the herbaceous border. Phlox are herbaceous plants most commonly known for making billowing mounds of scented flowers in summer borders. The sprays of candy-pink flowers are sweetly scented, and grow on tall stems up to 1.2m tall. Some enthusiasts recommend a spring move of phlox plants every four or five years, as they can deplete the soil of certain nutrients, and to help prevent the build-up of disease. During the move, the plants can be divided, using the outer part of the clump with healthy-looking shoots and discarding the old, brown, woody centre. A mound-forming evergreen sub-shrub, it forms clumps o needle-like leaves and bears masses of flowers in spring. They should be planted in a sunny or partially sunny location. It is earlier flowering than most, blooming from the beginning of summer. Phlox maculata ‘Natascha’ Top Planting Tips. Phlox drummondii ‘Moody Blues’ has a compact, bushy habit and bears flowers in a variety of shades of blue. All have been given the RHS Award of Garden Merit following a range of horticultural trials over many years. Water the phlox after planting. The plants not only produce an abundance of colour but also a delicious fragrance that evokes the very essence of a traditional English cottage garden. If you are moving a plant from a pot, dig a hole about twice the size of the pot’s diameter and place the plant so that the top of the root ball is even with the soil’s surface. These versatile plants will fit every garden and budget. It’s ideal for growing in … ‘Miss Pepper’ grows up to 1m high, but has sturdy and relatively wind-resistant stems. A mound-forming evergreen sub-shrub, it forms clumps o  needle-like leaves and bears masses of flowers in spring. ‘Rosa Pastell’ grows up to 70cm high. The species Phlox amplifolia also performed very well, though it is not widely available in the UK. Phlox 'Mother of Pearl' By the 1970's, interest in growing Phlox paniculata seemed to wane. ‘Prospero’ grows to 90cm tall. Prepare the ground for planting by digging in some garden compost or other fertile organic matter. ‘Uspekh’ is a herbaceous perennial, growing up to 1m high. This tall variety can grow up to 1.2m in height, and generally needs staking in an open border. As well as being fragrant and long-flowering, most cultivars attract a variety of bees and other pollinating insects. The Phlox genus encompasses nearly 70 species, and includes annuals, perennials and shrubs. Always happy with her hands in the soil, or rescuing wildlife in trouble, she enjoys writing about her environmental successes and failures, Established plants will deal with temperatures below freezing, Rich, moisture retentive but well drained loam, Blood, fish and bone in spring and water soluble fertiliser in autumn, Slugs, eelworm, mildew and other fungal infections. Look up your local last frost date before planting phlox. While not generally grown in containers, phlox can make a colourful addition to a mixed summer patio planter, though the plants will still need air circulation and space if mildew is to be kept at bay – not always easy in a crowded planter. Fall can be the best time of the year to divide and transplant many of your hearty perennials. You'll receive 50 each of English bluebells, single snowdrops, double snowdrops and winter aconites. This species is an erect herbaceous perennial with oval or lance-shaped leaves. Most phlox cultivars are perennial. Another perennial border phlox, ‘Pina Colada’ is a short-growing phlox, bearing large domed heads of pure white flowers. How to grow phlox flower plant. How to grow phlox flower plant. Phlox arrived in the UK as a garden plant from its native North America in the early 1800s and soon became a firm favourite for the summer herbaceous border. Phlox are able to grow in both partially shaded and sunny areas, and ideally should have a moist soil that is rich in organic matter and of pH 6.5 to 7.5. A good time to divide your phlox is during the early spring, late summer, or early fall when the plant is as wide as it is tall. This plant is native to North America. Phlox are hungry plants, so apply a 5cm to 10cm dressing of garden compost or well-rotted manure each spring. History and origin: Phlox are native to many parts of the eastern and central United States. ‘Grey Lady’ is a bushy but upright perennial, growing up to a height of 1m. Most phlox we grow in our borders are derived from the American native Phlox paniculata. These are typically white, pale lilac or darker purple and continue to appear throughout the summer and into the early autumn. Placing the tray on a warm surface will hasten growth, but it is likely to be mid-summer before roots are sufficiently established for the cuttings to be grown on. Phlox plant divisions should be planted immediately, but they can be planted in pots with potting mix temporarily to give to friends and neighbors. Moss phlox, Phlox subulata, is a spreading evergreen perennial growing to a height of  just 15 cm. Phlox plants or seeds or Phlox combined with flower bulb packages Koeman Garden Centre sells a large variety of Phlox seeds and Phlox plants and also sell a stunning pink flower bulb mix with Phlox, Dahlias, Peonies and Gladioli. This woodland phlox bears compact, spreading carpets of lilac-blue flowers in June, over fresh green, hairy leaves. Common names: Garden phlox, summer phlox, tall phlox, border phlox . Provide some ferny foliage to set off the texture and colour of the flowers. It’s ideal for growing in a rock garden or container. If the plant seems green, lush and generally healthy, it may well be that the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio in the soil is skewed, favouring the production of foliage over flowers. 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