Phloxes are perennials. At the cottage, they attract beautiful glossy leaves and bright colors. Only one variety - Drummond Phlox - is an annual. It is not high, its flowers have a rich aroma. They can have various shapes and colors. We can mention the following varieties that have annual phloxes: stellate and large-flowered. The first species can reach a height of twelve to thirty centimeters. The flowers of such a phlox Drummond resemble stars. Large-flowered plants also have a height of thirty centimeters. They have large flowers of various colors. Varieties of phlox with double flowers are very beautiful.
If you are interested in phlox annuals, growing from seeds for him is the most suitable way of breeding. Moreover, you can plant flowers both in open ground and in seedling boxes.
It is better to sow seeds in open ground at the end of spring, when the ground is well warmed up. After shoots appear, they must be thinned out. The distance between the flowers should be ten to twenty centimeters. To grow the plant more bushy, lush and low, you need to pinch the ends of the shoots or the first flowers. This operation is also suitable for plants that are grown at home.
Phlox blooms in late July. If you want to get beautiful flowering plants, you must remember what annual phlox demands. Growing from flower seeds must be accompanied by regular dressing. It is carried out in the summer two or three times, using complex mineral fertilizers. For this purpose, nitrophoska is suitable. Ten or twenty grams of fertilizer must be diluted in ten liters of water. Using manure as a top dressing is not recommended. It contributes to the rapid growth of plants, but it reduces the number of flowers. Also, in order for Drummond's phlox to bloom longer, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences in time.
It is possible to successfully breed annual phlox at home. Growing from seedlings is best started in March or early April. Eight to eleven days after sowing, seedlings appear. During this period, seeds sprouted in warm soil, the temperature of which ranges from twenty-two to twenty-five degrees, germinate . Otherwise, germination slows down. Diving plants is carried out after 2-3 weeks, when there are already real leaves. Seedlings are transplanted into boxes. If it was sown in March, then the flowers are transferred to the open ground at the end of May. Under these conditions, annual phlox seedlings will reach maturity and the plants will bloom in June.
Before planting, you need to choose the right place for flowers. Phlox loves the sun and fertile soil. They can't stand the shadow. Watering the plants must be plentiful, while at the same time avoiding waterlogging of the earth.
Phlox is able to impress with a variety of colors and its pleasant aroma. Due to the simplicity of care, which requires an annual phlox, growing from seeds is not difficult. Therefore, many gardeners decorate their summer cottages with these marvelous flowers.