{"id":3038,"date":"2020-04-27T12:27:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T20:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/?p=3038"},"modified":"2020-04-27T12:27:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T20:27:12","slug":"creeping-phlox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/creeping-phlox\/","title":{"rendered":"Creeping Phlox"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is almost mid-spring and creeping phlox\u2014Phlox subulata\u2014is having its moment.\u00a0 You can see it on the edges of flower beds, in planting boxes and cascading politely over garden walls.\u00a0 Healthy creeping phlox looks like a plush pink, blue\/purple or white carpet that spreads outward just in time to make you forget that the daffodils are fading fast.<\/p>\n

When some people think of perennial phlox, they imagine the showy, tall, late summer-blooming plants, with racemes or flower clusters of five-petaled blossoms and occasional issues with powdery mildew.\u00a0 Creeping phlox is short\u2014just three to six inches tall\u2014with a spreading, slightly mounding habit and tight racemes of small flowers.\u00a0 The two types, short and tall, provide graceful brackets for the warm months of the gardening year.<\/p>\n

Phlox is a large genus, home to at least 70 species, the vast majority of which are native to various parts of North America.\u00a0 Creeping phlox hails from Ontario and Michigan to the north and west through the Appalachian Mountains and south to Tennessee and North Carolina.\u00a0 Its popularity means that it is now at home in nurseries and garden centers throughout the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n

\"Phlox<\/a>For eleven months of the year, creeping phlox, which is also known as moss pink and mountain phlox, sits on the ground, present but unassuming.\u00a0 Its needle-like green leaves are semi-evergreen, making it a useful, weed-stomping ground cover.\u00a0 The plants will spread if they are happy and also self seed, so a well-cared for phlox patch is a good garden investment.\u00a0 Every spring I am surprised when I discover my phlox is bigger than I remember it being last year.<\/p>\n

At this time of the year, I always see lots of phlox at the big-box stores.\u00a0 Some are simply labeled \u201cphlox\u201d or \u201cmoss pink\u201d and the varieties are not always identified.\u00a0 Most people select by color anyway.\u00a0 \u2018Snowflake\u2019 is pristine white.\u00a0 If you are looking for good examples, try \u2018Emerald Blue\u2019, which features masses of blue flowers, each with notched petals and small golden centers.\u00a0 \u2018Fort Hills\u2019 is a good pink-flowered phlox, with more pronounced petal notches.\u00a0 For a deeper shade of pink\/purple, try \u2018Atropurpurea\u2019; or venture into the true purple range with \u2018Purple Beauty\u2019, adorned with darker purple rings on each bloom.\u00a0 Perky \u2018Candy Stripe\u2019 boasts pink petals edged in white.<\/p>\n

All varieties do best in a sunny location with well drained soil.\u00a0 Once established, they are somewhat drought tolerant.\u00a0 Deer generally leave them alone, although the may accidentally trample them on their way to more delectable fare.<\/p>\n

It has become increasingly apparent during the coronavirus \u201cshelter in place\u201d that most of us look better with regular haircuts.\u00a0 Creeping phlox is the same way.\u00a0 Shear it back after flowering to encourage healthy growth and promote next year\u2019s flowers.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to do this.\u00a0 Gentle shearing will not kill an established phlox.<\/p>\n

When I was in Asheville, North Carolina two springs ago, I saw cascades of phlox gushing over the low stone walls that define many front gardens in residential neighborhoods.\u00a0 That inspired me to plant some just behind the stone wall in my lower back garden.\u00a0 They don\u2019t quite cascade yet, but they are starting to droop over the edge in an appealing manner.<\/p>\n

Phlox works wonders in rock gardens, accenting the small species tulips and grape hyacinths that bloom at the same time.\u00a0 I have also seen them massed in tapestry fashion on either level or sloping sites.\u00a0 All the available colors work well together, so if a spring tapestry appeals to you, phlox may do the trick.\"Phlox<\/a><\/p>\n

Moss pinks also make terrific edging for beds and borders.<\/p>\n

If your garden is a series of containers and you like creeping phlox, I recommend growing it in a container that can be inserted in a larger vessel just as the plants begin to bloom.\u00a0 When flowering ends, the phlox can be moved to one side and replaced in the larger container by another perennial or annual that has come into its own flowering season.\u00a0 You can change out window boxes in the same way.<\/p>\n

Monrovia, the large plant wholesaler, lists the best array of creeping phlox varieties.\u00a0 Their website, at http:\/\/www.monrovia.com<\/a>, has a feature that allows you to find a retailer near you.\u00a0 Your best bet right now is to call that retailer and ask if they have curbside pickup or delivery on plant and garden supply orders.\u00a0 The Michigan Bulb Company also has a limited selection available by mail order.\u00a0 Find them at Michigan Bulb Company, P.O. Box 4180, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025-4180; (812) 260-2148; wwwlmichiganbulb.com.<\/p>\n

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It is almost mid-spring and creeping phlox\u2014Phlox subulata\u2014is having its moment.\u00a0 You can see it on the edges of flower beds, in planting boxes and cascading politely over garden walls.\u00a0 Healthy creeping phlox looks like a plush pink, blue\/purple or white carpet that spreads outward just in time to make you forget that the daffodils … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,2,5],"tags":[2286,257,808,1227,2287,2288,448,2289,590,2290],"class_list":["post-3038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall","category-general-interest","category-spring","category-winter","tag-creeping-phlox","tag-deer-resistant-plants","tag-edging-plants","tag-ground-covers","tag-moss-phlox","tag-mountain-phlox","tag-native-plants","tag-phlox-subulata","tag-rock-garden-plants","tag-spring-garden-color"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3041,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3038\/revisions\/3041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}