Delicate phloxes are in demand among gardeners. And this is not surprising, because few flowers can compare with the beauty and aroma of these attractive plants. In addition, the unpretentious nature and ease of cultivation are qualities for which perennial phloxes are valued. Planting and care, photos - this and much more you will find in our material.
Botanical description
Perennial phloxes are bright representatives of the Cyanotic family. These herbaceous bright flowering plants came to us from North America and quickly won the love of Russian gardeners. And all because of the unpretentious nature and frost resistance.
But the main advantage of phloxes is their beauty, thanks to which flowers are used to decorate flower beds. In addition, they perfectly coexist with other cultures. Therefore, they are planted to create flower arrangements.
Phloxes are especially valuable for bright, fragrant buds collected in panicle inflorescences. As a rule, the petals are painted blue,purple, blue, red and pink tones. But there are varieties with snow-white and even multi-colored buds.
Tubular-funnel-shaped phlox peduncles consist of 5 petals and reach a diameter of up to 8 cm. Each panicle has up to 100 buds. Inflorescences with a diameter of 10–15 cm are located on erect or creeping stems. Their height ranges from 10 cm to one and a half meters.
In nature, there are 40 varieties of phlox, and the exact number of varieties cannot be calculated. In addition, every year breeders bring out new varieties of culture. Below you will learn about some of them.
Ground cover varieties of perennial phloxes: names with photos
Such varieties are also called creeping or low cover. The main feature of these varieties is the small growth of shrubs. After all, the height of crops reaches from 5 to 40 cm. Such ground cover varieties are popular with gardeners:
Candy Stripes. This awl-shaped variety tolerates frost well. The plant grows rapidly and in 2-3 years creates a dense flowery carpet. The petals are painted white, but they have two longitudinal lilac stripes, and a purple star in the center
Mayshnee. An awl-shaped variety up to 10 cm high. Snow-white inflorescences densely covering the shrub, reaching 1.5 cm in diameter
Douglas Phlox. The plant reaches 10 cm in height. It has dense, thick stems that create a voluminous ball. Petals are burgundy and purpletones, but there are also snow-white varieties
Phlox forked. The variety has an original shape of petals, resembling oblong hearts. Buds of medium size, painted in white or blue tones
Ground cover perennial phloxes (photo below) will decorate an alpine hill or rabatka. If you need to plant flowers in the background, then pay attention to the tall varieties.
Tall Flowers
Plants are unpretentious and grow even in the shade. In addition, these varieties are frost-resistant. And suitable for growing in the northern regions. The following varieties are in demand among flower growers:
Windsor. Flower shoots reach 90-120 cm in length. Star-shaped buds up to 4 cm in diameter are collected in large panicle inflorescences, reaching 10-40 cm in girth. The petals are painted in rich red-orange tones
Natasha. Panicled variety reaching 1.5 in height. Large buds with a diameter of 2.5–4 cm are collected in panicles of various shapes and sizes. Petals emit a strong aroma, painted in white, carmine, pink, blue and lilac tones. The plant tolerates frost and prefers shade
Niki. The height of the culture is 1.2 meters. The first buds appear already at the end of spring, and the last ones disappear in September. The inflorescences are painted in rich purple and lilac shades
Magic Blue. A distinctive feature of the variety is the change in the color of the petals. At first, they are painted in crimson-purple tones with a white eye in the center. In the future, the buds acquire a light pink hue. And the center becomes bright crimson. The diameter of the flower is 3.5 cm. The shrub reaches 65–70 cm in height
Tenor. The height of the shrub reaches 100 cm. The size of the flower is 8 cm. The petals are painted in rich bright red tones. The variety is disease and frost resistant. Calmly takes root in the shade
Each of these varieties will decorate the grower's collection. But in order to achieve long flowering from phloxes, you will need to create comfortable conditions for plants.
Site selection and landing preparations
For a flower garden, choose lighted areas, protected from wind and drafts. But it is desirable that at midday a shadow from tall trees or buildings falls on the flower bed. The ideal place would be the south, east or west side of the house.
Do not plant phloxes near large trees, especially spruces or pines. Such "neighbors" will draw nutrients from the soil, and the flowers will wither.
Perennial phloxes do not require soil. But it is recommended to plant flowers in light, loose, fertile soil with neutral or slightly acidic reactions.
If you plan to grow crops in loam, then first add sand, peat and manure to the soil. In sandy soilbe sure to add compost and turf soil.
Be sure to check the quality of the seedling before planting. Buy perennial phloxes, the photos of which are indicated above, in special stores or nurseries. Note that a strong plant should have 2-3 shoots with buds. Recommended root length is 15 cm.
Phloxes perennial: planting and care
It is better to plant flowers in autumn, in late September - early October. Then the plants will get stronger before the onset of frost and will endure the winter well. And next year they will please you with an attractive view.
Phloxes are recommended to be planted in rows. Between undersized varieties of perennial phlox (photos are given in the article), keep a distance of 35–40 cm. For varieties of medium height, increase the distance to 50 cm. The distance between bushes of tall plants should reach 60–70 cm.
How to plant flowers:
- Dig the area to a depth with a shovel bayonet, remove weeds and apply a bucket of compost and 200 g of charcoal per square meter. It is advisable to add more mineral fertilizers.
- Dig holes for the plant with a diameter greater than the root system of the crop by 5 cm.
- Pour water into the hole.
- Spread the roots of the seedling, treat them with Kornevin.
- Dig the plant into the ground. Make sure that the growth bud is located 4-5 cm below ground level.
- Fill the voids with soil and lightly tamp it down.
- Before the arrival of cold weather, do not forget to cut off the ground partbush, leaving a stump 5 cm high.
You can plant flowers in the spring. The main thing is to hold this event in mid-April. Then the cultures will take root and give buds this year. But keep in mind that during spring planting, perennial phloxes need daily watering for the first two weeks. From now on, give them regular care.
Feeding
In order for the perennial phloxes, the photo of which is presented in the article, to bloom together and for a long time, apply fertilizers. Moreover, feed crops 4-5 times per season:
- In the spring, during the period of active growth, flowers need nitrogen preparations. They will help the flowers to increase the "green mass".
- When laying buds and direct flowering, feed the crops with potassium-phosphorus compounds.
- Apply phosphate preparations in the fall. Then the cultures will calmly survive the cold season.
In addition, it is recommended to fertilize flowers 2-3 times per season with universal preparations, such as Cytovit or Uniflor Micro.
Irrigation
Phloxes are moisture-loving plants. And for beautiful and long flowering, they need regular and plentiful watering. It is important to moisten the soil during hot and dry weather, because the beauty of the culture will suffer from a lack of moisture.
Water the flowers preferably in the evening, then the moisture will not evaporate in a short time. At the same time, use only warm water for humidification, the minimum consumption is a bucket per 1 sq. m.
After 20-30 minutes after watering, be sure to loosensoil. But do not "dig" too deep, because this way you will damage the roots of the flowers. If the soil has sunk heavily after loosening, then sprinkle the flower bed with a 3-4 cm layer of peat.
Cutting
Early-flowering varieties of perennial phlox cut off at the end of summer. For late varieties, postpone this procedure to the end of September. But you need to complete the pruning before the onset of frost.
During the procedure, remove the entire ground part of the culture. But at the same time, leave stumps 5 cm long. Please note that 3 growth buds should remain on each shoot. After all, new shoots will appear from them in the spring.
Preparing for winter
In the southern regions, where the temperature does not drop below -15 °C, perennial phloxes calmly endure the cold season without shelter.
In the middle lane without preparation, plants are unlikely to survive the winter. To protect the flowers from frost, cut out the ground part of the crops. After that, mulch the soil and cover the flower garden with spruce branches, straw or covering material, such as lutrasil.
In the northern regions, it is impossible to leave plants in the open field for the winter, because no shelter will protect them from severe frosts. Therefore, in the fall, dig up your favorite perennial phlox bushes, transplant them into pots or containers and send them to the basement. In the spring, plant crops in a flower bed.
Transfer
These flowers need periodic repotting. After all, over time, the soil of the flower garden is depleted. And from a lack of nutrientsbuds are getting smaller. In addition, the duration of flowering is reduced.
In addition, pathogens accumulate in the soil. Therefore, every 5-6 years it is recommended to transplant flowers to a new place. Hold this event in the fall, when the growth of culture ends.
Propagation of phloxes by seeds
Even a novice gardener can grow perennial phloxes from seeds, because this propagation method is simple. You do not have to bother with a greenhouse, seedlings and other "charms" of floriculture, as phlox seeds are sown immediately in open ground.
You can plant plants from November to January. At the same time, do not be afraid of snow, because thanks to it, the seeds will undergo natural stratification, which will ensure high germination and early flowering.
Please note that seed quickly loses viability. Therefore, sow flowers in the year of collection of seeds. Before frosts, be sure to prepare a flower bed, because if the frosts “grab” the soil, then it will be difficult for you to work with it. To do this, dig up the beds, remove weeds and apply fertilizer.
When planting, space the seeds 5cm apart. Sprinkle the planting with garden soil from above with a layer of 1 cm. If there is snow, then cover the flower garden with it. In the spring, after germination, thin out the rows.
Propagation by green cuttings
Start a similar procedure when the shoots reach 15 cm in height. First, prepare the soil for planting. To do this, mix in equal proportions:
- soddy soil;
- humus;
- sand.
Spread a 10 cm layer of potting mix on the selected lighted area. Sprinkle it with 2-3 cm of river sand.
For cuttings, choose strong side branches that have 2 internodes. Make the first cut just below one of them. And the second at a height of 5-7 cm from the next internode. How to plant cuttings:
- Remove the bottom pair of leaves.
- To stimulate the growth and viability of the cuttings, do not forget to treat the sections with Kornevin.
- Stick the shoots into the sand, making sure the bottom cut does not hit the soil.
- Step 5-6 cm between cuttings, 12 cm between rows.
- Spray the soil with water from a spray bottle and cover the planting with glass or polyethylene.
In the future, do not forget to regularly moisten the soil in the greenhouse with warm water from a spray bottle. After three weeks, be sure to feed the cuttings with a potassium solution. To do this, dilute 10–15 grams of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfide in 10 liters of water. When the cuttings give the first leaves, remove the film.
Dividing the bush
This propagation method for perennial phlox is suitable for mature plants over 3 years of age. The event can be held in spring, summer and autumn. How to propagate flowers:
- Dig up the shrub carefully, being careful not to damage the roots. Please note that they grow to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- Use a sharp knife to divide the bush into several parts. Each of them should have 5 renewal buds. Try not to shake off the earthen ball from the roots. So the plants will quickly take root in a new place.
- Cut off the top shoots to a height of 10-25 cm and plant perennial phlox seedlings in the holes prepared in advance.
Caring for plants consists of abundant and regular watering, weeding and fertilizing. This method allows you to save all the features of the variety of flowers, in addition, thanks to the division of the bush, old plants are rejuvenated. And after such a procedure, they begin to bloom with a vengeance.
Attractive phlox will decorate the backyard. In addition, even a novice gardener can grow these noble flowers. After all, it is enough to provide the crops with minimal care, and they will certainly thank for the long flowering.
