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Perennial ground cover phloxes are highly valued by summer residents and gardeners for their good decorative properties. The plant is represented by many varieties, it is interesting to study the most popular of them.
Benefits of growing creeping phlox
Creeping phlox is often used to decorate the landscape due to several advantages:
- An ornamental perennial plant forms a very beautiful ground cover.
- The ground cover crop thrives in poor soil.
- The perennial grows not only in horizontal areas, but also on slopes.
- The ground cover phlox blooms early and becomes fully decorative in May or June, one of the first.
- Many types of perennial ground cover phlox retain the bright green color of their leaves even in winter.
Creeping phlox blooms in late spring
The perennial does not have strict care requirements and can be propagated very well.
Types and varieties of perennial ground cover phlox
The ground cover perennial is represented by dozens of varieties with different shades of flowering and stem height. Among the known varieties, several can be listed.
Phlox forked
This species is capable of rising up to 15 cm above the ground. Its stems are hard and slightly pubescent; elongated thin leaves reach 5 cm in length. Depending on the variety, the plant can bloom with white, lilac and purple flowers.
The forked phlox has very unusual petals
Phlox Douglas
It grows naturally on stony soils and in rocks, forming bright white or purple carpets. The leaves of phlox Douglas are small, no more than 2 cm, and in the core of the flowers there is a dark eye. Douglas phlox grows up to 12 cm in height and usually blooms at the end of May.
Phlox Douglas loves rocky areas
Phlox splayed
Spreading perennial phlox can grow up to 30 cm. Its stems spread along the ground, but form rising shoots. Small flowers resemble straightened shields.
Spreading view - a fairly tall ground cover plant
Candy Stripes
The ground cover phlox variety has an unusual color - its flowers are white, but with a wide pink stripe in the center of each petal. Candy Stripes rises only 10 cm above the soil; the flowers are small in diameter, about 2 cm.Blooms profusely and luxuriantly in May.
Candy Stripes - a variety with two-color petals
Bavaria
Bavaria bears white flowers with a dark purple center in May and June. It rises 15 cm above the ground level, the awl-shaped thin leaves remain decorative until frost. Bavaria prefers to grow in sunny areas and is characterized by increased frost resistance.
In the center of the flowers of Bavaria there is a purple eye
Nettleton Variegata
The low-growing perennial is capable of growing no more than 10 cm above the ground. The flowers are small, about 1.5 cm, pink. The variety attracts special attention due to the unusual coloring of the leaves; they are dark green, but along the edge there is a narrow whitish-pink border.
The Nettleton Variegata variety has decorative leaf coloring
Atropurpurea
The groundcover variety rises about 10 cm above the ground and bears star-shaped flowers in May or June. The flowers are purple-scarlet in color. It is frost-resistant and tolerates drought well.
Atropurpurea has rich red blooms.
Crimson Beauty
Ground cover Crimson Beauty forms a lush carpet up to 15 cm high above the ground. The flowers of the variety are pink, with crimson strokes extending from the core. Flowering occurs in late spring.
Crimson Beauty - pink variety with a raspberry core
Tellaria
A perennial groundcover variety with awl-shaped green leaves, stems up to 12 cm in height and lilac flowers with a purple eye in the center. Flowering occurs in mid-May and lasts about a month. Phlox Tellaria loves sunlight and tolerates lack of moisture.
In the center of the lilac Tellaria flowers there is a crimson eye
Red Wings
The Red Wings variety blooms at the end of May and is abundantly covered with bright pink flowers with a dark red center. The perennial plant rises in height by about 15 cm. It prefers dry soils and plenty of sunlight, and tolerates frost and drought well.
Red Wings blooms with beautiful dark pink flowers
Bonita
The ground cover phlox Bonita does not exceed 15 cm in height. It forms a very lush carpet on the surface of the ground, and at the end of May it blooms with bright pink flowers with a dark heart-shaped color. It tolerates winter cold well, is undemanding when growing, and even on dry soils with a lack of moisture, the perennial blooms profusely.
Bonita blooms deep pink
Siberian
This type of perennial phlox is considered rare, prone to extinction, and grows wild in Siberia. Winter-hardy, tolerates frosts below – 35 ° C. The height of the plant is about 15 cm, its leaves are elongated, about 6 cm in length.
Siberian phlox is a rare valuable species of perennial
The flowers are small and solitary, white, light pink or lilac. It blooms in early summer and remains decorative for 30 days.
Violet Pinwheels
The ground cover variety Violet Pinwheels has unusual flowers - the petals have small teeth at the ends and generally look a bit like helicopter blades. Purple-violet in color, flowering occurs from mid-May.
Violet Pinwheels - a beautiful purple variety
Violet Pinwheels thrives in dry, sunny areas and forms a cover up to 15 cm in height.
Thumbelina
The perennial variety Thumbelina is prone to rapid growth and forms a green turf above the soil surface about 15 in height.The flowers of Thumbelina are of a delicate and cool pink hue; the variety acquires maximum decorative value at the end of May.
Thumbelina is a very low ground cover plant.
Maischnee
Maischnee is a very attractive ground cover phlox with snow-white blooms in late spring. The flowers of the variety are wheel-shaped, up to 1.5 cm wide, the height of the plant does not exceed 15 cm. Compared to the dark greenery of other plants, it looks very bright and decorative.
Maischnee features snow-white blooms
Lilac Cloud
The perennial variety blooms profusely in May and early June and produces brilliant purple flowers. At first it looks very bright, towards the end of flowering it begins to turn pink. Forms a beautiful carpet up to 10 cm high.
Lilac Cloud - a variety with a soft lilac hue at the end of flowering
Crackerjack
Phlox variety Crackerjack grows no higher than 10 cm and bears star-shaped flowers in May and June. The color of the flowers is rich, purple-crimson.
Crackerjack produces bright crimson flowers
The use of creeping phlox in design
Ground cover phlox is widely used in garden design. First of all, it covers unoccupied areas of space and creates a beautiful background.
The perennial plant is used:
- as part of rocky gardens and alpine slides;
Perennial grows well on alpine hills
- for decorating borders, slopes and low hedges;
The plant gracefully decorates ledges and borders
- for decorating the banks of small reservoirs;
Creeping perennial can grow near water
- to revitalize space in coniferous plantings and flower beds with perennials;
Ground cover phlox can be combined with other plants
- to create bright islands on a green lawn.
Perennial enlivens the monochromatic greenery of the lawn
Ground cover phloxes look good both in the center of the composition and in the background. The unpretentiousness of the plants allows them to be used in almost any area.
Features of reproduction
Ground cover phlox of any variety can be easily propagated in the garden. Several methods can be used:
- Dividing the bush - the method is suitable for adult perennial phlox; in spring or late autumn you need to dig up the plant and divide it into several separate parts.
Creeping plant easily divides by rhizome
- Layerings - a very convenient method, since the shoots of perennial phlox are located close to the ground. The selected shoot must be slightly buried in the ground throughout the summer, and in the fall it will take root.
Layers of a creeping perennial take root in one season
- Cuttings. The groundcover perennial plant readily propagates by cuttings taken in early spring or summer; if rooted in the spring, phlox will be suitable for planting in the ground as early as August.
Groundcover cuttings quickly take root
Planting and caring for ground cover phlox
Growing creeping phlox does not require much effort from the gardener. The main thing is to choose a good location and provide the crop with plenty of light and moderate watering.
Recommended timing
Perennial creeping phlox is usually planted in late April or early May. Since the plant begins to bloom early, it is important to root before this point.
Site selection and soil preparation
Ground cover perennials prefer to grow in sunny, warm areas with light shade.In bright direct sun, their petals often fade, but deep shade also harms the plants - they bloom worse.
It is better to choose light, neutral or alkaline, loamy or sandy soil for creeping perennials. It is important to provide the plants with high-quality drainage - creeping phloxes do not like stagnant moisture. It is optimal to plant perennial plants on a small hill, but ground cover phlox will definitely not take root in damp lowlands.
It is recommended to plant a perennial plant in illuminated areas.
It is advisable to prepare the planting pit for phlox in the fall. For this purpose, the selected area in the garden is dug up, the soil is fertilized with compost and humus, and then holes are made approximately 30 cm deep. The distance between them should be about 50 cm.
Landing algorithm
In the spring, after the soil has thawed, nutritious soil is prepared for perennial phlox, consisting of leaf soil, humus and sand. Drainage made of crushed stone or expanded clay is installed at the bottom of the prepared pits. Then the holes are half filled with soil mixture, a little wood ash and complex mineral fertilizers are added and moistened.
Before planting, the soil for phlox is well watered.
It is recommended to lower the ground cover phlox into the hole together with the existing earthen ball. There is no need to deepen the seedling - its root system should be located close to the surface. Planted perennial plants are moistened abundantly, and then the ground around them is mulched with peat.
Rules of care
Caring for ground cover perennial phlox is not particularly difficult:
- The crop needs to be watered quite often, once a week, but in small quantities so that moisture does not stagnate.If the soil at the roots of the phlox dries out frequently, this will not cause any damage to it, but in waterlogged soil it may die.
- Perennial phlox are usually fed with complex mineral fertilizers in early spring. Since the crop is unpretentious, the spring application of minerals and periodic watering with the addition of wood ash will be quite sufficient.
- During the growing season, phloxes are recommended to be weeded from time to time. Weeds can significantly impair flowering, but it is worth noting that they rarely appear under a dense ground cover.
A flowerbed with creeping perennials should be weeded from time to time.
With the onset of autumn, it is recommended to trim off the faded shoots of perennial ground cover phlox. This will strengthen the crop’s endurance before cold weather and will have a positive effect on the growth of young shoots in the spring. It is not necessary to cover phlox for the winter, but you can mulch the flowerbed or lawn with a dense layer of humus. Organic matter will insulate the roots in the ground and also nourish them with useful substances.
Diseases and pests
Ground cover phlox can suffer from fungal diseases and insects. It is especially often affected by:
- powdery mildew - the fungus appears as a white coating on green leaves and leads to wilting;
The white coating of powdery mildew is easy to notice on the leaves.
- rust - when the fungus appears on the leaves, characteristic brown spots are very noticeable, which grow quite quickly;
Rust is a dangerous disease of ground cover crops.
- ring spot — on the small leaves of perennial phlox, the disease manifests itself as yellowish spots; if you look closely, you can see a pattern of circles and semicircles of a light shade.
Ring spot of groundcover perennial is easy to recognize
To treat diseases, Bordeaux mixture, colloidal sulfur and the drug Fundazol are used. It is better to spray perennial phlox as a preventive measure - in the spring before flowering and twice more after it.
Among the pests that are dangerous for ground cover phlox are:
- aphid - small green insects can eat away at the leaves;
Aphids cause severe damage to a flower bed with creeping phlox
- nematodes - these worms can usually be seen by curling leaves and thickening of stems;
When infected with nematodes, the plant most often dies
- slugs — small shellfish eat the leaves and cause serious damage.
Slugs are very dangerous for ground cover perennials and can completely destroy the plant.
Nematodes can only be combated preventively, so diseased perennial plants are destroyed. Spraying with insecticides and dusting with wood ash helps against other pests.
Conclusion
Perennial ground cover phlox can turn a garden plot into a continuous flower bed at the beginning of summer. Caring for the crop is not difficult; the perennial plant thrives in fertile and poor soils, in the sun and in light shade.
