Growing Phlox Flowers
Growing Phlox: A Vibrant Display of Profusely Blooming Flowers
Phlox is a native North American flower. Typical names for phlox varieties include bright eyes, phlox blue paradise, Texas Pride, orange perfection, dwarf, clouds of perfume, and Drummond Phlox.
Phlox is a tiny flowering plant but oozing with charm. It grows just about 6-18 inches tall. However, the phlox plant produces enormous clusters of brightly colored blossoms that bloom from late spring to summer. The flowers come in various shades of pink, yellow, scarlet, purple, orange, red and white. This tiny beauty can instantly doll up your windowsill planters and patio.
Phlox flowers look amazing whether you put them on flower beds or as cut flowers. Their showy jewel-like blooms crowding the top of the stems will surely catch anyone’s attention.
Phlox Propagation
Phlox are grown from seeds. There are two ways to propagate phlox: Sowing the seeds directly into your garden after all the danger of frost has past; or sowing the seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost.
The latter requires transplanting the seedlings at a later time.
Use a shallow dish or flats and fill it with potting soil or fine garden soil. Cover the seeds lightly with soil and water thoroughly once.
Keep the soil moist by covering the flats with a pane of glass or plastic. The flats must be placed in a shaded location. It will take about 4-7 weeks to complete the germination process.
How To Grow Phlox Flowers
After the last frost date in your area, transplant the seedlings in a good location. This means the planting area must have a good air circulation to prevent mold. The soil must be moist, loose, and well drained. It must be fertile and rich in organic matter. Improve the soil by mixing plenty of compost before planting. Also, phlox plants must be fed with general fertilizer once every month.
In addition, the spacing between the plants is important as they can only tolerate a little crowding: 15cm apart for small varieties and 60cm apart for large varieties. Phlox plants love full sun, but they can also tolerate partially shaded areas.
Providing Extra Care
Phlox plants are low-maintenance. They grow well without so much pampering. However, you can bring out their ultimate beauty by rendering extra time to keep them tidy and well weeded. Promote a fuller, bushier phlox plant by pinching back tall stems. Deadhead wilted blooms to encourage additional flowers. This will also extend the blooming period throughout the summer season.
Phlox Disease
Generally, there are three main threats that can greatly harm your flowering phlox.
Parasitic nematodes (roundworms) are a type of infection caused by roundworm invasion. Once your phlox plant gets infected, it’s best to just replace the plant and its surrounding soil to prevent nematodes from taking over your garden. Parasitic nematodes are extremely difficult to get rid of. Sure there are pesticides that can treat nematode infections but these are highly toxic and dangerous.
Powdery mildew can kill your phlox plants if left untreated. It can be remedied using a wettable sulfur spray every 2 weeks.
Oedema is a problem on root function caused by overwatering, no sufficient ventilation, or both. Space the plants at least a foot apart, keep the soil dry and make sure the plants get full sun.
