It is difficult to find a gardener who does not know anything about such a flower as phlox. This wonderful plant will be a worthy decoration of any garden. A huge variety of types and varieties of phlox makes it possible to create amazing compositions in the landscape design of a personal plot. Such flowers can be used as a background, as well as being a central accent in a flower bed. In garden design, they can be used in an ordinary flower bed, flower garden, in a mixborder that borders the path. In our article we will talk about one of the species of this plant - panicled phlox. Photos and descriptions of different varieties of this flower are waiting for you further!
Appearance of phloxes
North America is considered the birthplace of the named culture. Most species of these plants originate from the eastern United States. In this area, and now you can find large thickets of phlox. It is not known for certain when these plants were cultivated, but their first appearance in gardens was seen in their homeland, in the states of Carolina and Virginia, at the very beginning. XVIII century.
K. Linnaeus in 1737 first described these plants and gave the name of the genus - phlox. Translated from German and English, it sounds the same - "fluffy." The first phloxes entered Europe through England. It was in this country, starting in 1740, that the described culture was brought. Phlox paniculata appeared in England in 1743.
By the middle of the 19th century, phloxes were widely used in other European countries. It is believed that at about the same time or a little later they appeared on the territory of Russia. They gained immense popularity in our country in the 30s of the last century.
Phox paniculata: description, photo
Undemanding care, splendor and brightness of flowering, a varied palette of colors, frost resistance, delicate amazing aroma - all this cannot but interest gardeners. The type of panicled phlox is considered the most common and well-known. It should be noted that the variety of varieties bred by domestic breeders in this species category of flowers can surprise even an experienced gardener.
Introducing the main features of the group:
- They are distinguished by height: high (from a meter to one and a half meters), medium (up to a meter), low (from forty to sixty centimeters).
- Phlox leaves are elongated, lanceolate, 6 to 15 centimeters long.
- Plants have a straight stem that becomes woody by autumn.
- They have inflorescences of various shapes, more often spherical. Bydensity - loose and compact.
- Phloxes are also distinguished by flowering time: early flowering (July), medium flowering (July-August), late flowering (August-September);
In addition, as already mentioned, plants are distinguished by a variety of color palettes and varieties.
Popular varieties: Snow White
Let's present a selection of the most popular varieties of panicled phlox with a photo. All of them have their own advantages and features over others.
The first one is Snow White. The bush is tall, spreading. Its height ranges from 60 to 80 centimeters. The stems are strong, powerful, densely leafy.
The inflorescence is beautifully folded, dense, pyramidal-spherical shape. The flower is star-shaped, white, with a slightly pronounced pink tint in the throat, the tube is pink. The flower itself is small in diameter, about four centimeters. The leaves of the plant are green.
Phlox paniculata Snow White breeds quickly and easily. Abundant flowering begins in mid-July and continues for a long time. Phlox looks especially impressive in a single planting, as well as with darker varieties. The plant is unpretentious in care, winter-hardy and does not need shelter for the winter period. The variety was bred in 1952 by breeder N. S. Krasnova.
Unique Old Pink
The original variety of foreign selection was bred in the Netherlands. It belongs to perennial frost-resistant shrubs. The plant itself is low, up to 45 centimeters. The bush is compact, with a lot of leaves. Stems strong, erect. Leaveselongated, lanceolate, opposite. Each flower consists of five petals, 3 centimeters in diameter. Pale pink flowers with a white star in the middle. The plant emits the finest fragrance.
Phox paniculate variety Unik Old Pink is preferable to plant in partial shade. In bright sun, the delicate pink flowers fade, while in the shade, the plant slows down growth.
Perennial to growing conditions is unpretentious, but prefers well-fertilized moist loose soil. Flowering continues for two months: in July and August. The variety is frost-resistant, tolerates even very low temperatures.
The plant is propagated by dividing the bush, by cuttings, and also by layering. It is planted to decorate borders, flower beds, flower beds. When landing, it is used both in single and group compositions.
Twister
Panicled phlox Twister is also a perennial. This is a compact strong plant, 50-70 centimeters high and about 60 centimeters wide. Stems erect, strong, strongly leafy. The petals are white, on each of them in the middle there is a small bright strip of red-pink color.
The flower has a diameter of 3.5-4 centimeters. The inflorescence is a round-conical shape, medium density and size. Flowers begin to bloom in the second half of July and continue to bloom in August. One of the advantages of Twister is that it is not susceptible to powdery mildew.
The described variety of panicled phlox is preferable to plant on well-litplaces protected from piercing winds. It is planted on well-fertilized, rich in humus, loose drained soils. Plants need regular watering, but water stagnation should not be allowed. Twister is used for group plantings, various flower beds and flower beds, as well as for cutting.
Neon Fleur - panicled phlox, photo
Among gardeners, one of the favorite varieties of this species is phlox Neon Fleur. The demand for this particular variety is due to the fact that the inflorescences are spectacularly and brightly colored: the petals of a milky shade are edged with a raspberry color along the edges, the eye in the middle has the same color. But with prolonged exposure to the sun, the petals become almost white.
The bush of the plant is low, only 40 centimeters and 50 centimeters wide. Inflorescences have a rounded shape. The size of the flowers is not more than 3 centimeters in diameter. A feature of the named variety is considered to be a long flowering, which lasts from July to September. Single flowering, very abundant.
Phlox Neon Fleur is recommended to be planted in the front garden or garden pointwise, this will hide small empty areas, uneven flower beds. They also look good when used in a tiered design. These flowers prefer partial shade to the sun. The variety is frost-resistant, tolerates severe frosts well.
Stars & Stripes
The variety has an amazing color and is able to bring zest to any garden and add originality to any flower arrangements. Phlox flowers are round, coral-pink shade, and in the middle of the petals there are chaotically scattered strokes of a silver-milky color. In the middle of the flower there is a carmine eye.
The flower is quite large, 4-4.5 cm in diameter, the inflorescences are dense. The bush is large, erect, about 70 centimeters high. Phlox Stars & Stripes blooms in mid-summer, blooms for a month and a half. It grows well in sunny and shaded areas, but flowering is longer in partial shade. The plant prefers moist, fertilized soils. The variety is distinguished by winter hardiness and resistance to the most basic phlox diseases.
Crème de la Creme
Phloxes are herbaceous, perennial plants. From the description of the Creme de la Creme panicled phlox, it is known that the plant has erect stems, a bush up to 60 centimeters high. Phlox leaves are entire, sessile, opposite.
The flowers of the plant are unusually beautiful, they have several shades: from white-green to pink-cream. The petals are creamy-lemon, browned along the edge with pink stripes. The buds are yellow, some of them unfold like roses. The inflorescence is large, quite dense. Flowers in diameter reach 2-3 centimeters. Flowering is long, from July to September.
The variety is frost-resistant, able to withstand temperatures down to -34 degrees. Disease resistant. Propagated best by dividing the bush in spring or autumn. Cuttings are taken in June-July, using young green shoots up to 10 centimeters high.
Phlox Creme de la Creme is planted in mixborders, in single and group plantings. A variety suitable for decorating a country-style garden. For planting this variety of phlox, places with diffused lighting are best suited; plants can get burned from scorching sunlight.
Seat selection and boarding
Let's move on to the next step: consider the correct planting and care of panicled phlox. Before you start planting phlox, it will be useful to find out what kind of root system they have. This is necessary in order to choose the most favorable landing site.
Root system
Phloxes are very demanding on moisture, but at the same time they do not tolerate stagnant water at all, especially in the soil layer where the main part of their roots is located. Usually they are at a depth of 3 to 15 cm. Small adventitious roots of phlox go to a depth of no more than 22 cm. From this we can conclude the following: if groundwater passes above 15 cm to the soil surface, when planted in a simple way, the roots of the plant, without receiving oxygen, they will die, and then the whole plant. Therefore, in the case of a close location of groundwater, high beds should be made, the height of which should not exceed 10-15 centimeters.
It must be remembered that this crop should not be planted next to trees and tall shrubs. The fact is that phloxes will begin to compete for light, food, moisture and eventually lose.
Soil
Phloxes are quite hardy plants and can grow on any soil,but the most favorable growth and flowering can be obtained by planting them on loose, fertile and moist soil.
Sun or shadow
It is preferable to plant phloxes in a sunny or slightly shaded place. In the sun, the inflorescences will be more lush and dense, in the shade - loose and pale, but they will bloom longer. When growing phlox in the southern regions, plants should be shaded during the midday hours.
Pick up time
Planting panicled phlox with an open root system is carried out in early spring, immediately after the soil thaws, and also in early autumn with growth buds already laid. In central Russia, this time falls on the end of April - May, the end of August - September.
The stems of plants during autumn planting are shortened by a third. Phloxes with a closed root system can be planted throughout the growing season.
Reproduction and care
It should be noted that the characteristics of the variety are not lost in any type of reproduction, except for seed. And the panicled phlox breeds:
- seeds;
- cuttings (stem and root);
- axillary buds;
- summer-autumn shoots;
- dividing the bush.
Phlox paniculata care is easy. It is necessary to carry out timely weeding, while acting carefully, not forgetting that the root system is located close enough to the surface of the earth. Carry out timely watering and top dressing. If necessary, processpests.
Feeding and watering
In order for the plant to have a more spectacular appearance, it is necessary to periodically carry out top dressing, which should be continued throughout the growing season. You need to start them from the moment the first bud awakens and until the leaves are completely shed.
The soil where panicled phlox is grown should be kept moist. If there is no rain, it is necessary to organize regular watering. Loosening the soil is a must.
If a snowy winter is expected, the plants should be covered, otherwise they may die. A snow cover 60 cm thick is able to protect phloxes from frosts down to -35 ° C without shelter.
Diseases and pests
Like all garden plants, phloxes are susceptible to various diseases and pest attacks. Among them are the following:
- naked slug;
- stem nematode;
- spider mite;
- wireworm;
- earwig.
If plants are weakened from lack of nutrition and moisture, they may be attacked by aphids. The diseases inherent in this type of plant are as follows: powdery mildew, phomosis, septoria.
