Panicled phloxes are one of the most beautiful and beloved by many flowers grown on a personal plot. A variety of phloxes is amazing. Among panicled, the most popular are such varieties as “Dove of Peace”, “Albatross”, “Bouquet” and “Apple Blossom”. Phlox is quite cold-resistant, so they can be grown in the coldest regions of the country.
Panicled phlox
It is a fairly tall herbaceous plant, the size of which sometimes reaches one and a half meters. He has an erect stem, which becomes stiff over time. It grows in the form of a bush with bright inflorescences. Shades of panicled phlox range from pale pink to raspberry or burgundy. In the color scheme, strangely enough, yellow shades are completely absent. This flower is picky about soil moisture and tolerates cold. In regions with warm winters, where temperatures fluctuate around four degrees Celsius, phloxes grow year-round.
Popular views
Among panicled phloxes, the following, most famous varieties are distinguished:
- 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 him for his unpretentiousness and rapid growth.
- The 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 raspberry 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.
- Not badly proved among gardeners a variety of "bouquet". It has fairly large inflorescences of a soft pink shade with a dark middle in the form of a ringlet. The bushes are quite large, sometimes reaching seventy centimeters in height. The leaf plates are down.
- The dove of peace variety has large, dense inflorescences in the form of a pyramid. It not only reproduces well, but is also prone to rapid growth. Thanks to these properties, the “dove of peace” has gained quite a lot of popularity among summer residents. It is resistant to diseases and tolerates cold well.
- Inflorescences of the Waltz variety are dense and hemispherical. The flower petals are slightly wavy with a pale pink tint. This rather tall plant is extremely resistant to various diseases. The leaves of this variety have a deep dark green color.
- Phlox flowers "apple tree color" reaches a diameter of five centimeters. Inflorescences form a flat umbrella. The bush height 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 “Gaganov’s favorite”.
Unlike panicled, these phloxes are larger in size. The height of their bushes very often exceeds seventy centimeters. The most undersized among them is considered the "favorite of Gaganov." Like panicled, all varieties of red phlox have good resistance to fungus and to cold. Hues of inflorescences range from pinkish-purple to saturated raspberry. For example, in the variety "Michel Mercier" the flowers have a velvety-purple hue with yellow stamens. The largest inflorescence is in "Manon" and "Mary Fedorovna."
Variety of phlox "apple tree color": photos and features
This panicled phlox has a rather powerful root system that continues to life even after the ground part disappears. It has large flowers collected in an umbrella inflorescence. This variety is very fond of designers who decorate them with lawns and country-style borders. They look great next to bells and carnations.
Seat selection
These are pretty 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 loves frequent watering, stagnation of water will be disastrous for them. When planting these flowers, a distance of at least thirty centimeters should be maintained. The landing site should be chosen once and for all. If the phlox is not disturbed or transplanted, it can grow up to ten years.
Landing Features
This plant does not tolerate acidic soil, and therefore, before planting it, it is necessary to pre-treat the soil with lime. Poor sandy soils are pre-fertilized with organic matter. All procedures are best done in advance. The roots of the phlox cultivar “apple blossom” are superficial, so when planted they are buried in the ground to a depth of not more than four centimeters. Immediately after planting, plants are abundantly watered. Mineral and organic fertilizers are added to the pit where the roots will be located.
Reproduction and care
According to the description of phlox “apple blossom”, the best way to breed is to divide the rhizome. Usually this procedure is carried out in the offseason. And also the method of cuttings proved to be quite good. Experienced gardeners have seven ways to breed this magnificent plant.
- For propagation by stem cuttings, the shoots are cut before the buds begin to bloom on them. On each of the healthy and grafted cuttings should be at least two nodes. They are planted in open ground or pre-germinated in a box. Humus or sand is put in the hole. The approximate rooting period is from fifteen to twenty days.
- And also phlox can be propagated using root cuttings. This method is considered costly and time consuming. You 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 the roots should be constantly moist, and the air temperature in the room should be at least 20 degrees.
- Phlox 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, fairly strong shoots with leaves about ten centimeters high appear. Phloxes are transplanted to a permanent place in the garden and watered.
- Some summer residents prefer reproduction by layering. For 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 divides its roots into several parts. Parts of the bush planted in new holes usually take root very well.
Soil for phlox
In the description of phlox “the color of the apple tree” (photo 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 flowerbed is dug up and unequal parts of turf, humus and sand are added to the soil. It does not tolerate this plant and loamy soil. They are completely unsuitable for all varieties of phlox and require careful processing.
Strongly not recommended for planting these flowers acidic soil. The earth should be pre-treated with lime and only then proceed with further work. When digging, it is advisable to make organic fertilizers. The planting site is selected as far as possible from plants such as lilac, spruce or birch.
Plant nutrition
In order for the inflorescences to be strong, large and delight the eye with saturated 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. In the beginning of summer, potassium salt 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
Most often, panicled phlox “apple blossom” has such fungal diseases as leaf spot, rust and powdery mildew. In order to cope with the disease, you should remove the affected parts of the plant, and treat the rest with Bordeaux fluid. With leaf spotting, experts advise simply to get rid of the plant in order to prevent mass infection of the remaining flowers in the flower bed.
Sometimes panicled phlox affects the nematode. It attacks the roots of plants, due to which they have seals. The presence of nematodes can be determined by the general condition of the flower. If the bush began to decay and wither, then, most likely, the nematode worms had already penetrated the roots of the phlox and formed clusters of galls. Unfortunately, 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 cutting is carried out. To strengthen the roots, they regularly fight weeds and loosen the soil. Variety of phlox "apple blossom" can grow for ten years. In the future, the bush is simply divided into several parts and planted. If you carefully care for these flowers, then they will delight for a very long time with their magnificent pink bloom.