Permanent participants in garden compositions are perennial phlox flowers. They adorn many mixborders, rocky gardens, flowerbeds and borders. Phlox of all sorts and types in bouquets looks great. True, they do not stand in a vase for a long time, since flowers tend to crumble quickly and lose their decorative effect. But in the flower beds phlox is a real handsome. Its inflorescences resemble bright multi-colored hats. And in suitable conditions, he blooms for a long time. Immerse yourself in the beautiful world of various types of phlox, learn about the methods of their reproduction and care features.
Description of Phlox Colors
The name of the bright perennial flower was given by the naturalist Carl Linnaeus. He called this plant the name "flocco", in Greek it means "flame". This is due to the fact that the original shape of the flower had a scarlet color. There was a legend that the sailors of Odysseus dropped torches on the ground, then magnificent bright red flowers grew on these places. Initially, all perennial phloxes appeared in Canada. Europeans and Americans began to engage in annual species.
Many had to observe what phlox flowers are beautiful during flowering. Their inflorescences are very abundant and continuously flaunt in flower beds. This flowering herbaceous plant belongs to the family Sinyukhovyh. There are about 85 of its species. Perennial phlox come in different colors. There are pink, blue, white, bright purple, violet, scarlet. Depending on the time of flowering, they are spring, summer and summer-autumn. They bloom profusely for a month, or even more.
Features and distribution of the plant
Many people wonder whether it is a flower or a shrub - phlox? It must be said right away that this is a shrub. The lower part of the shoots with buds becomes wooden and stored in the winter for many years, and the upper grassy part dies in the winter, and reborn again in the spring. It should also be mentioned which phlox flowers have stems. Depending on the variety, they can be erect, ascending and creeping. Height varies from 10 cm to 1.5 m.
This perennial plant has elongated, oval-lanceolate leaves with solid edges. Phlox flower inflorescences are quite large and have up to 90 flowers. The flowers themselves are small, have a diameter of 3-4 cm and a tubular-funnel shape. During flowering, butterflies and bees flock to the plant, as a very fragrant smell is emitted. The phlox flower consists of 5 petals, creating a whisk in the form of a wheel, an asterisk, a dissected saucer. There are corollas of different colors, there are even with eyes, strokes, dots, shadows. Complex inflorescences, in which all the flowers are collected, are located at the ends of the shoots and are called thiers. After the corollas have faded, oval capsules (fruits) are formed in their place, and seeds ripen in them.
The answer to the question of whether it is a shrub or a flower - phlox, is already clear. And in which countries is this ornamental plant most common? Perennial and annual species mainly grow in North America. In Russia, Siberian phlox is found in the wild and is a mountain creeping plant.
Types of Phlox
The ancestor of many exquisite varieties of this plant is panicled phlox. Even Terry Pure Feelings with large inflorescences and white flowers with green stripes in the center also evolved from a panicled species. These flowers resemble large fragrant hats on tall stems (panicles). The variety combines many interspecific hybrids with various properties. Panicled phlox is one of the best perennial flower plants. White phlox flowers, reminiscent of a tender bride, are especially fond of.
This type of phlox is also called a "paniculata". It blooms in late August, early September. Paniculate species is distinguished by large inflorescences, fragrant flowers of a wide variety of colors, excluding yellow. Many hybrids have also been bred in which the flowers are painted with colorful stripes. Panicled phlox is a fairly high shrub, its height can be more than a meter. An adult plant can produce more than 20 shoots. With its flowering plant pleases about two months. This species does not require special care and conditions for growing. Here are the best panicle varieties: Bright Eyes, Franz Schubert, Lord Clayton, PinkLady.
Groundcover (creeping) phloxes are very popular. They are loved because they bloom early. Already in May, red-purple or white flowers can be seen on the Alpine hills, covering the flowerbed like a blanket. They do not like much moisture, prefer dry places. A prerequisite for the ground cover is bright sun. As soon as the plant fades, the shoots are cut to a third of the height. This will allow phlox to grow and bloom better next year. In severe winters, this species is sprinkled with dry leaves or covered with a special material (lutrasil). The height of the creeping phlox reaches 15-20 cm. The stems have abundant branches and umbrella inflorescences (up to 10 pieces).
The most common creeping species is the awl-shaped phlox. Bred a lot of its varieties. Each of them has its own color scheme and care requirements. It is called so because of the peculiar small, pointed, needle-like leaves. The most picky look is Wilson, he has pretty small flowers. Experienced gardeners are breeding a very moody, but beautiful Rotraut variety. The awl-shaped flowers are a real decoration of rocky slides and retaining walls. Popular styloid varieties are Bavaria, Candystripe, Tamaongalei, Coral Eyes. They are grown even in flowerpots and flower baskets. The plant can be trimmed and form various geometric shapes.
The lowest creeping species is Douglas phlox. It is distinguished by two-time flowering. First blooms in May, the second time in September. This flowering undersized plant resembles multi-colored pillows. The most popular varieties of Phlox Douglas are considered Lilac-Cloud, Red Admiral.
The transitional type between climbing and shrub phlox is friable. It is quite unpretentious and lends itself well to care. Canada is considered the birthplace of the species, therefore it is also called Canadian. Many had to watch beautiful flower beds with blue flowers. They are filled with a delicate violet aroma. You can watch the beautiful “blue lagoon” in May. With good watering, the Canadian variety blooms for about a month. In addition to blue, light lilac, lilac, white and purple splayed phlox are found. It is important to know that Canadian phlox has a very loose turf where weeds grow rapidly. He likes very frequent watering. After flowering, the plant does not produce seeds.
In June, the stolonon phlox blooms. Its stems have rather dense wood, and the flowers are collected in original shields. If the shoot suddenly comes into contact with the ground, then rooting takes place in that place and a new basket with leaves and peduncle grows. The most famous variety is Lilac.
In Russia, the Caroline species, blooming in June, was recently bred. He is represented by phlox Mrs. Ligard and Bill Backer. The first has white elongated inflorescences. The second has flowers of carmine pink. Especially quickly they take root in slightly acidic soils.
Tall bush phloxes are endowed with special beauty. These include the Arends variety. This phlox is obtained by crossing panicled and Canadian species. His flowers are small, and the stems are thin. They are specially planted next to dense plants to support in bad windy weather. Phlox Arends has another interesting property - if you prune it after the first flowering, it will bloom again in late summer.
It is worth mentioning another colorful group - spotted phlox. It has small and narrow leaves, inflorescences of a cylindrical shape. Penumbra and moist soil are suitable for him, so it is better to plant it under trees or near ponds. The best varieties of spotted phlox: Omega, White Pyramid, Natasha, Rosalind.
Care and planting phlox flowers
This plant coexists perfectly on any soil. It is best to plant phlox flowers on light loamy soils. A shrub well develops when lime is added to the soil. Before planting phloxes, the earth must be excavated carefully. Spring, undersized varieties are more capricious, they do not know how to deal with weeds, so the soil must first be cleaned of their rhizomes. For planting, choose sunny areas, only partial hybrids with easily fading color of flowers are planted in partial shade. If you need to plant dark phloxes, then place them next to the light so that in the evening light they will not get lost, but stand out.
Caring for phlox flowers is a snap. They just require loose soil near them and the absence of weeds. In order for the plant to bloom profusely, periodically need to apply fertilizer. You will not be mistaken if you plant panicled phlox both in the shade and in the sun. But undersized species will need more lighted areas. Climbing plants for fast growth also require good fertilizer. Watering phloxes should be done infrequently, only in cases of dry and hot weather. It’s better to do it in the evening.
Plant Care in Autumn
How to protect phlox bushes from winter freezing? In late autumn, young and old bushes require earthing up, as well as shelter with a layer of manure or humus. Especially such protection is required by young cuttings, rooted this season.
Sometimes phlox can undergo fungal diseases. In this case, after flowering, a preventive treatment of the plant with fungicides is carried out.
In the fall, you can rejuvenate and transplant phlox. Florists also collect the seeds of this plant. If you suddenly didn’t have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather, then they are dug up, planted in pots and wait for maturation already at room temperature.
Phlox transplantation, division and rejuvenation
The panicled species can grow in one place over 15 years. New shoots appear farther and farther from the center, which becomes obsolete over time. It is advisable to divide, plant the bushes every 5-6 years, and thus rejuvenate. For the normal development of the plant, division of the bush is simply necessary. It is not necessary to wait for 5 years of age, it can be divided after three years. Such a procedure can be carried out in spring, summer and autumn.
First you need to dig a bush around the circumference, then remove it from the ground and cut the shoots to 10 cm. Then, with a shovel, divide the bush into the desired number of parts with several buds for renewal. Phlox take root very well, thanks to a powerful root system. Transplant pits are prepared in advance so that the soil is a little donkey. In the pits you need to pour a little compost, mineral fertilizers, you can also nitrogen. It is very good to fertilize with ash. For acidic soils, you can add a glass of lime. In order not to burn the roots, all fertilizers should be mixed well.
After this, the pits are filled with water and split bushes are planted. They need to be filled up until renewal buds are covered by 3 cm. A little mulch of peat, leaves, humus is poured on top. This will lead to better rooting of the divided bushes.
Summer and autumn cuttings
Phlox can also be propagated with green cuttings. To do this, wait until the plant reaches a height of 15 cm in May-June. There can be several shoots on the mother plant, the right amount is cut, the rest continue to grow. Cut cuttings should be completely submerged for an hour in water for an hour. This contributes to better rooting.
Then the lower leaves of the cuttings are removed and a cut is made under the lower kidney. Cuttings are planted in the shade or in the greenhouse with a depth of 1.5 cm. The soil around can be covered with wet paper, for better rooting. Green material will take root in 1-2 weeks.
Drummond's One-Year Phlox
The best annual among garden flowers is the Drummond phlox flower. All his charm is that it blooms from June to November. The plant has very fragrant flowers of various shades. They are star-shaped and larger. There are high grades, lower and dwarf. Terry varieties look especially beautiful.
Growing Phlox Seeds
Many varieties of phlox can be grown by seed. If they mature well, they give a fairly high viability. Sow the seeds of phlox flowers in late autumn should be in the open ground. Some gardeners sow them in winter in special boxes and take them out to the cold for stratification. Then they are brought into the room, the soil thaws, the seeds begin to sprout together.
Diseases
Phloxes are sometimes exposed to a common disease - powdery mildew. This becomes noticeable when the plant is covered with an unsightly white coating. This leads to curling, drying and falling of the leaves. For prevention purposes, the plant is treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. In summer, the bushes are sprayed with fungicidal preparations.
Wonderful and grateful phlox flowers will perfectly decorate your garden. Caring for them will not be difficult for you.