Annual phloxes are flowers that conquer gardeners with incredible beauty. They are known around the world, but officially their homeland is North America. This flower belongs to herbaceous plants and has thin stems with branches. The minimum stem height is 12 centimeters, the maximum is 30 centimeters. Phlox flowering period - from June to frost. The annual phlox flower has an unusual shape resembling a snowflake and can be ordinary, semi-double or double. Its color is pure and replete with various tones and shades. The aroma of this flower is incredibly beautiful.
This plant is the only one in its family that is an annual. He was even given his own name - phlox "Drummondi". Phlox annuals are distinguished by their unpretentiousness. Planting and care consist of loosening, weeding and abundant watering. It should be noted that this plant loves fresh fertile soil and a lot of sun. The peculiarity is that in hot sunny weather, flowering becomes more plentiful, and the color is much brighter. These flowers do not tolerate excess moisture and shadow. Love phlox care caring and thorough. The main field of application of these flowers is the decoration of borders and flower beds. Very often they are planted in pots to decorate loggias and balconies.
To maintain aesthetics, he needs a special mineral fertilizer, Nitrofoska, which helps the flower maintain freshness and bloom profusely. For the same purpose, he always needs to remove faded buds. Beginning amateur gardeners should remember that these annuals do not tolerate fresh manure fertilizer.
Phlox annuals are easily propagated by seeds . Landing and care in this case take place in several stages. Firstly, in March, the seeds are sown in boxes. Secondly, for two to three weeks, the seeds are indoors at a temperature of at least +15 degrees. Thirdly, during the entire period of germination, they must be moistened evenly. Fourth, at the end of May, plants are planted in the ground in a sunny place at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other. In this case, the first flowers will appear by the end of June. You can make it easier and sow the seeds immediately into the ground in May, but in this case the plant will begin to bloom only closer to mid-August.
There is one feature of growing phlox from seeds that distinguishes them from other plants. Dense and rather large seeds sprout poorly in the soil (out of 100 shoots they give only 2-3), however they sprout very well on the surface of the soil with a sufficient amount of sunlight. Seeds are laid on top of the ground, sprayed with a spray bottle and covered with a film. Do not forget to shake off condensate daily. Here they are - phlox annuals. Landing and care, of course, can cause some trouble, but in the end the result will please the eye.
Flowers can be cream and coffee, yellow and pink, lilac and blue, but gardeners are sure that their favorite bright red flower is still better. The richness of the palette helps them find their place in group plantings on the background of the lawn. And when the painstaking work is behind, one can only wait for the flowers and admire the annual phlox, planting and caring for which can bring pleasure to true gardening lovers.