Paniculata phlox is one of the most beautiful and loved by many flowers grown in the backyard. The variety of phloxes is amazing. Among panicled varieties, such varieties as Dove of Peace, Albatross, Bouquet and Apple Blossom are the most popular. Phloxes are cold hardy enough to be grown in the coldest regions of the country.
Panicle phlox
It is a fairly tall herbaceous plant, the size of which sometimes reaches one and a half meters. It has an upright stem that becomes stiff over time. It grows as a shrub with bright inflorescences. Panicled phlox shades range from soft pink to raspberry or burgundy. In the color scheme, oddly enough, yellow shades are completely absent. This flower is demanding on soil moisture and tolerates cold very well. In regions with warm winters, where temperatures hover around four degrees Celsius, phlox grow all year round.
Popular species
Among the panicled phlox, the following are distinguished, the most famousvarieties:
- A fairly winter-hardy variety called "bud" blooms with pink buds of a cold purple hue. This type of panicled phlox is quite persistent and strong. Gardeners love it for its unpretentiousness and fast growth.
- Albatross variety has wheel-shaped inflorescences. It is quite resistant to various diseases and tolerates both cold and drought. The height of the bush very often reaches half a meter. One of the features of the "albatross" is that during the summer heat, a small eye appears on the flowers.
- Low bushes, blooming with bright crimson flowers, belong to the variety "Alexander Immer". Small inflorescences have a flat spherical shape. This type of panicled phlox tolerates winter well and is practically not prone to fungal diseases.
- The “bouquet” variety has proven itself well among gardeners. It has rather large inflorescences of a pale pink hue with a dark middle in the form of a ring. The bushes are quite large, sometimes reaching seventy centimeters in height. Leaf blades down.
- The variety "dove of peace" has large, dense inflorescences in the form of a pyramid. It not only reproduces well, but also tends to grow rapidly. Thanks to these properties, the "dove of peace" has gained quite a lot of popularity among summer residents. It is disease resistant and cold tolerant.
- The inflorescences of the w altz variety are dense and hemispherical. The petals of the flowers are slightly wavy with a pale pink tint. This fairly tall plant is extremely resistant to various diseases. The leaves of this variety areintense dark green color.
- Phlox flowers "apple blossom" reaches a diameter of five centimeters. The inflorescence forms a flat umbrella. The height of the bush of this compact plant sometimes reaches sixty centimeters.
Among the varieties of red phlox (photo below), the most popular are "Michel Mercier", "Maria Fedorovna", "Manon" and "Gaganova's Favorite".
Unlike panicled, these phloxes are larger in size. The height of their bushes very often exceeds seventy centimeters. The shortest among them is considered "Gaganov's favorite." As well as panicled, all varieties of red phlox have good resistance to fungus and cold. The shades of the inflorescences range from pinkish purple to deep crimson. For example, in the Michel Mercier variety, the flowers have a velvety purple hue with yellow stamens. "Manon" and "Maria Fedorovna" have the largest inflorescence.
Phlox variety "apple color": photos and features
This panicled phlox has a rather powerful root system that continues to live even after the ground part disappears. It has large flowers collected in an umbrella inflorescence. This variety is very much loved by designers who decorate lawns and country-style borders with it. They look great next to bluebells and carnations.
Choosing a seat
These are quite sun-loving plants that love diffused light and do not tolerate dimming. They are planted away from trees.and house buildings. Despite the fact that phlox love frequent watering, stagnant water will be detrimental to them. When planting these flowers, a distance of at least thirty centimeters should be maintained. The landing site must be chosen once and for all. If the phlox is not disturbed and not transplanted, it can grow up to ten years.
Fit features
This plant does not tolerate acidic soil, and therefore, before planting it, you should pre-treat the earth with lime. Poor sandy soils are pre-fertilized with organic matter. All procedures are best done in advance. The roots of the “apple-color” phlox variety are superficial, therefore, when planting, they are buried in the ground to a depth of no more than four centimeters. Immediately after planting, the plants are watered abundantly. Mineral and organic fertilizers are added to the pit where the roots will be.
Reproduction and care
According to the description of "apple blossom" phlox, the best way to breed is to divide the rhizome. Usually this procedure is carried out in the off-season. And also the cutting method has proven itself well. Experienced gardeners have seven ways to grow this magnificent plant.
- For propagation by stem cuttings, the shoots are cut before the buds begin to bloom on them. Each of the he althy and grafted cuttings must have at least two nodes. They are planted in open ground or pre-germinated in a box. Put humus or sand in the hole. The approximate rooting time is from fifteen to twenty days.
- And also phloxescan be propagated by root cuttings. This method is considered costly and laborious. You will need a strong thick root, which is cut into several parts. A good and strong process of the lateral root should depart from each part. The procedure is carried out in the fall so that the phlox can germinate before spring. The soil in the box with roots should be constantly moist, and the air temperature in the room should be at least 20 degrees.
- Phloxes can also be bred using seeds. They are sown immediately in open ground in November. If desired, you can germinate the seeds at home in March or April. Usually at the end of May quite strong shoots with leaves about ten centimeters high already appear. Phloxes are transplanted to a permanent place in the garden and watered.
- Some summer residents prefer reproduction by layering. To do this, the stem of the bush is covered with earth and wait until the lateral processes appear.
Perhaps the most popular way is to divide the bush. In spring, the plant is dug up and its roots are divided into several parts. Parts of the bush planted in new holes usually take root very well.
Phlox soil
In the description of phlox "apple color" (photo of it above) and in the recommendations for its cultivation, it is indicated that these flowers love loose soil. If the ground is not light enough, it can be improved. To do this, in the spring, the flower bed is dug up and unequal parts of turf, humus and sand are added to the soil. This plant does not tolerate loamy soils. They are completely unsuitable for all varieties of phlox andrequire careful handling.
Acidic soils are strongly not recommended for planting these flowers. The earth should be pre-treated with lime and only then proceed to further work. When digging, it is desirable to apply organic fertilizers. The landing site is selected as far as possible from plants such as lilac, spruce or birch.
Feeding plants
In order for the inflorescences to be strong, large and pleasing to the eye with rich shades, phloxes are fertilized with potash fertilizers. In the spring, as a rule, organic fertilizers are applied during irrigation. Most often, chicken or pigeon droppings are used. At the beginning of summer, potassium s alt is added to stimulate the growth and flowering of phlox. As soon as the inflorescences begin to open, the bushes are fertilized with superphosphate.
Diseases and pests
The most commonly panicled apple blossom phlox suffers from fungal diseases such as leaf spot, rust and powdery mildew. In order to cope with the disease, the affected parts of the plant should be removed, and the rest should be treated with Bordeaux liquid. With leaf spotting, experts advise simply getting rid of the plant in order to prevent mass infection of other flowers in the flower bed.
Sometimes panicled phlox is affected by a nematode. It attacks the roots of plants, which causes them to develop seals. You can determine the presence of nematodes by the general condition of the flower. If the bush began to wither and wither, then most likely the nematode worms had already penetrated the roots of the phlox and formed clusters of galls. ToUnfortunately, today there is no drug that would completely get rid of this disease. Therefore, a diseased plant is most often simply dug up and destroyed.
In order for the flower to become hardy, it is fertilized with ash and autumn pruning is carried out. To strengthen the roots, they regularly fight weeds and loosen the soil. Phlox variety "apple blossom" can grow for ten years. In the future, the bush is simply divided into several parts and seated. If you carefully care for these flowers, they will delight with their magnificent pink blooms for a very long time.
