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Phlox Blue Paradise was obtained by Piet Oudolf in 1995 in Holland. This is a beautiful ornamental plant with flowers of a dark blue or purple hue. This variety of phlox has a high growth rate and good winter hardiness.
Description of Blue Paradise Phlox
Phlox paniculata Blue Paradise is a herbaceous plant about 1 m high. Its stems are strong and dark in color. The diameter of the Blue Paradise paniculata bush can reach 120 cm. The spreading of the erect stems is average. The plant does not need to install supports.
The leaves of Phlox Blue Paradise have an elongated shape with pointed ends. They can reach 10-12 cm in length and about 2-3 cm in width. On both sides the leaves are smooth, dark green in color, the pattern of veins is clearly distinguishable.
Blue Paradise phlox flowers have different shades depending on the light
The variety is sun-loving, but can also grow in partial shade. Direct sunlight, although recommended, should not be too intense.
The growth rate of Blue Paradise phlox is good, but the rhizome needs to be divided after several seasons. The plant's frost resistance corresponds to zone 4, which allows it to withstand winters with temperatures down to -35 °C. It can be grown in any region where cold temperatures below + 15 °C are not observed in August.
Features of flowering phlox Blue Paradise
Phlox paniculata Blue Paradise belongs to the European group. Flowering occurs in August-September and lasts a long time, from 1.5 to 2 months. In sunny areas, the flowering time is slightly reduced (up to 4-5 weeks), but the splendor of the flowers is significantly greater. Plants grown in the shade bloom even less (no more than 3 weeks).
Inflorescence is a panicle type, large in size (up to 20 cm in diameter), round or oval in shape
Flowers with a diameter of 25 to 50 mm open at different times, which ensures such a long flowering period. The petals of the Blue Paradise phlox are slightly wavy, the color changes depending on the light. In bright sunlight it becomes rich lilac; in cloudy weather or in phlox growing in the shade, it becomes bright blue-blue with a purple border.
Application in design
In gardening and gardening, Blue Paradise phloxes are effective as an element of a flower array. When plants are planted tightly, they are able to create a continuous carpet of all types of blue and lilac shades.
In summer cottages and small gardens, the variety is used to create high borders around paths.
But design applications are not limited to these two primitive roles.Blue Paradise phloxes look great against a background of conifers, while solid blue-violet plantings can be diluted or surrounded by low-growing elements of warmer shades (for example, pink or purple sedums). The flowers also look good as a frame around small artificial ponds.
As a central element of the composition, phlox Blue Paradise can be used in flower beds with “stunted” populations or annuals with bright colors (marigolds, lobelia, etc.)
The culture is combined with many other flowers: asters, astilbes, daylilies, verbena, marigolds, hosts, heleniums.
The plant can be grown in pots or flowerpots located outdoors. It is even possible to place flowers in containers at home. But in both cases, we should not forget that the root system grows very quickly, which will require changing the container or regularly dividing the rhizome. In addition, with this growing method, Blue Paradise phlox needs more frequent watering.
Reproduction methods
Vegetative propagation is used primarily for phlox paniculata Blue Paradise. Seed does not have the necessary efficiency, does not guarantee the inheritance of the properties of the mother plant and cannot produce as much seed material.
The easiest way to propagate is by dividing the bush. After 3-4 years, the rhizome grows very strongly and loses its growth rate. Usually it is completely divided into individual roots and planted.
By division you can get up to 5-8 bushes from one mother
But the most effective method, which provides the largest amount of seed, is propagation by stem cuttings. The advantage of this technique is that they can be planted not only in greenhouse conditions, but also directly in open ground. The highest percentage of survival rate (90-100%) is obtained from cuttings planted from May to July; they are harvested before planting.
Cutting planting material from the stems is the first stage of propagation
Propagation by leaf cuttings or spring growth shoots is actually a variation of the previous method. In this case, you can get more seed, but there are certain details that need to be remembered.
The cutting usually consists of two nodes, each of which has mature leaves
This method is less effective (50-60% survival rate) and requires the use of greenhouses for preliminary rooting.
Landing rules
The timing of planting Blue Paradise phlox depends on the type of seed. Seeds are planted in the greenhouse at the end of March. Purchased seedlings or seed obtained from cuttings and divided rhizomes are best transferred to the ground in late summer or autumn. As an exception, planting in spring or summer is allowed, but in this case the growth of phlox is significantly delayed, and you may not be able to wait for flowering next year.
As already noted, the plant is light-loving, so sunny areas are chosen for planting it.
The soil should be fertile, well-moistened and loose. The best option is nutritious medium loams with neutral or weak acidity (pH from 6.5 to 7, but not higher).Spring planting involves preparing the soil in the fall, autumn planting - about a month before the planting date.
Site preparation is carried out according to the standard scheme:
- The area is cleared of weeds and leveled.
- Fertilizers are applied, including lime, peat and humus.
- A loosening material is added (sand on loams, manure or clay on sandstones).
- After applying fertilizer, the area is dug up again to a depth of 10-15 cm and leveled.
After this, the plot is watered abundantly and left alone until planting.
Preliminary preparation of seed material is not necessary. Planting can be done immediately after purchasing or receiving seedlings.
Holes with a depth equal to the size of the root system are dug at a distance of 50 cm from each other
After planting, the plants are sprinkled with soil and lightly compacted. The first watering is carried out after three days. In the next two weeks it is carried out daily.
Aftercare
Watering is carried out as the top layer of soil dries. Since phlox Blue Paradise is a moisture-deficient plant, its watering rates are quite high, at least 20 liters per 1 sq. m. m of area occupied by the plant.
After watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil to a depth of 5 cm, since the crop reacts very poorly to stagnant moisture in the top layer of soil. In addition, at the same time this procedure allows you to get rid of weeds that significantly inhibit the growth of phlox. Mulching of crops is not practiced.
The first feeding of Blue Paradise phlox is carried out after the snow melts.It includes a complex fertilizer for ornamental plants with a large amount of nitrogen. The second is produced during budding (May-June). It consists of potassium-phosphorus compounds, the proportion of nitrates should be minimal. The best option in this case would be a solution of mullein with the addition of wood ash.
The third feeding (with a lot of potassium) is done at the end of June. The plant is fed with similar compounds for the fourth time every month.
The last application of fertilizer is done after flowering, at the end of September. In this case, complex fertilizer for ornamental crops is again used.
The plant is pruned after the flowering period ends. The stems are completely cut off, leaving no more than 10-12 cm above the ground level. After the procedure, the soil around the bush is treated with insecticides and fungicides. Cut stems and foliage are burned.
Preparing for winter
Preparation for winter consists of mulching the space around the plant within a radius of 30 cm with a layer of crushed horse manure. It is allowed to lay some covering material on top of the mulch layer that allows air to pass through.
Pests and diseases
The main pest of phlox is the nematode, a microscopic worm with a thin thread-like body. It lives in the stems of the plant and feeds on its sap.
Shoots affected by the nematode lose their shape, and the leaves curl on them
The main way to combat this worm is preventative. At the beginning of autumn, the tops of weakly affected shoots of Blue Paradise phlox should be removed, and stems severely damaged by the pest should be completely cut out and burned.
In addition, it is recommended to add a mixture of manure and straw to the holes at the planting stage. This composition forms colonies of fungi that are harmless to the plant, but inhibit the development of nematodes. Each subsequent year, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the plant with the same mixture in early spring.
Phlox Blue Paradise can infect various types of insects, the most dangerous of which are golden and hairy bronzes.
Bronzeworts eat plant buds and young flowers
The fight against this pest is carried out exclusively by mechanical methods - collection and destruction. Against other insects that are potentially dangerous to the plant, preventive treatment with insecticides is used in early May.
Conclusion
Phlox Blue Paradise is a beautiful ornamental plant with large inflorescences of a blue-violet hue. Despite its relative unpretentiousness and high winter hardiness, for beautiful flowering it requires regular and systematic care, consisting of watering and fertilizing. The culture is widely used in landscape design, and with the appropriate container size it can even be used in indoor floriculture.
