at 08/28/2018 253 Views

The beauty of phlox attracts the attention not only of people, but also of exotic butterflies.

Awl-shaped phlox is not a capricious plant. He takes root in different soils and does not require special growing conditions, therefore it successfully adapts to different situations. But still in order to charming bloom I was happy for a long time, Phlox needs to be created optimal conditions. We'll tell you which ones in detail.

What is known about phlox?
Popular varieties
Reproduction options
Rules for planting and care
Diseases and pests

A riot of colors in one bouquet

Phlox: description of type and characteristics

This type of phlox is successfully used in landscape design, since in fertile soil this plant grows quickly, creating a bright flower spot. Phlox can be miniature - only 25 cm in height or giant up to 1.2 m. Variety color palette may also surprise you: purple, pink, red - all shades.

Pay attention! Individual specimens may be two-color, which makes them decorative effect even more attractive.

The magic of phlox fields fascinates and makes you believe in a fairy tale

It is also worth knowing that the plant in question is a spring-flowering perennial. The homeland of the awl-shaped phlox is North America. This species is successfully used for growing in rock gardens. Looks great on slopes, and due to the powerful root system it can also be strengthened required areas. Due to the rapid formation of soil cover, phloxes are successfully used in cascading compositions.

Popular varieties of phlox (photo)

There are many of them, but there are the most popular ones, including:

Variety
Characteristic
Candy Stripes
White with a pinkish stripe in the center
Maishnee
Blinding with whiteness, due to this it has become the most widespread
Tellaria
Star shape, lilac, marked by long flowering
Thumbelina
Deep pink color, grows quickly

Phlox subulate: propagation options

Before considering care, you should familiarize yourself with the propagation options for phlox. Let's take a closer look at the methods.

Dividing the bush. This method is the simplest and most popular. If you notice that the bush has grown greatly, it should be dug up and divided into parts. It is important that each part contains a piece of root. The optimal time for the procedure is spring, before flowering.
By shoots. They should be pinned to the ground and covered with soil. It is important that the stem nodes fit tightly to the ground, in which case roots will grow from them. As soon as young shoots appear, new bushes can be separated from the mother bush. The plant is transplanted to a convenient place.
Cuttings. Such propagation is not often used, but can be a measure to save accidentally broken stems. You need to remove all the leaves from the bottom of the branch, bury the cutting in a shady area and wait until it grows. After this, you can transplant it to a permanent place.
Seeds. Another method that is not used very often. Sowing seedlings should be done at the end of winter. Shoots will appear in 2-3 weeks. After 2-4 true leaves have grown, you can pick them into separate containers. For successful growth and development of seedlings, the soil must be constantly moist.

Rules for planting and caring for awl-shaped phlox

Important! In order for the awl-shaped phlox to successfully fulfill its function, you need to give preference to a sunny and dry area. It is worth checking the soil under it: it is allowed to be infertile, but dry and loose. Acidity – slightly alkaline or neutral.

Important! If you plant phlox on wet black soil, you will get a lot of greenery, but it will practically not bloom.

The plant should be planted to a depth of no more than 15 cm, root system not very deep. A distance of 20-30 cm should be left between neighboring bushes. When choosing a location, you should pay attention to the predecessor. The best is any perennial grass.

Phlox in the landscape design of a summer cottage

Advice! Bushes should not be planted after strawberries. These plants have common pests – nematodes. If they were on strawberries, then they will probably settle on phlox too.

Care procedure:

Regularly loosen the soil under each bush.
Destroy weeds as they appear.
Moderate watering with warm water. If you use it cold, you may end up with cracked stems.
The inflorescences fade as the season progresses and need to be removed.

Advice! To ensure lush and long flowering, the awl-shaped phlox must be replanted every 5 years.

Particular attention should be paid to preparing for wintering. Although the flowers are considered frost-resistant, this is only realized when they are covered with a large layer of snow and there is no thaw. In order for the snow to become reliable protection, should be carried out autumn pruning tops, and sprinkle the roots with soil and peat. Additional cover can be made from straw, spruce branches, and fallen leaves.

A warm winter with regular thaws will bring inconvenience, since during periods of warming the plant needs to be opened, and when it gets colder it needs to be covered again. If this is neglected, the phlox may simply dry out.

Fertilizer for phlox

For annuals, fertilizing is needed four times per season, for perennials – five times. The application scheme is approximately like this:

Month
Type of fertilizer
May
liquid manure diluted in water
early June
also manure with added superphosphate
early July
liquid manure
end of July
potassium and phosphorus. Moreover, it is better to apply this fertilizer in the evening.

Advice! Fertilization with ash shows good results. To do this, it should be prepared as follows: pour 350 g of ash into 2 liters of water and boil for 10 minutes. After this, let it brew until completely cooled. This is a concentrate, it should be diluted with 10 liters of water. You can fertilize phlox with ash both at the root and along the leaves..

By following tips for caring for plants, you can enjoy the beauty of the site for a long time.

Pay attention! To speed up the growth of the root system after winter, it is useful to water the bushes with humus.

Diseases, pests and treatment of awl-shaped phlox

Phlox is most susceptible to powdery mildew. It is often attacked by caterpillars, which damage the stem, which can lead to the death of the plant. You can notice the first traces of pests by a brownish coating on the leaves; they will also curl.

You can avoid the rapid spread of phlox disease by regularly inspecting the stem and leaves of the plant.

Important! If the caterpillars have destroyed the bush, it needs to be dug up and burned. Phlox cannot be replanted in the old place for 2-3 years.

Plants also suffer from lack of water and thickening. Therefore, when planting, you should maintain the correct distance between the bushes. In general, awl-shaped phlox is an excellent ground cover plant that produces a powerful, intense beautiful bloom. All he needs is a little care and the right place

Nice flowerbed design: every bush has plenty of space and light

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Phlox subulate

Infestation by caterpillars can be identified by curled brownish leaves. Affected areas must be removed immediately.

Caring for phlox comes down to weeding, rare watering and fertilizing three times a day: before flowering, during the period of plant growth, you need to feed potassium nitrogen fertilizers, and by the very middle of summer it is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers.

The main requirement when choosing a place for phlox is the presence of light and sun: these plants love light.

Features of cultivation.

And during flowering, carpets of awl-shaped phloxes are strewn with flowers of a wide variety of shades (white, blue, pink, red).

That seems to be all the main points. Be sure to try placing this unpretentious, but such a fascinating plant on your property!
The soil is preferably sandy loam or light loam; if the soil is heavy, then sand must be added when planting;
Planting phlox in autumn

In natural natural conditions phlox grows in forests, in places with moist soil. Intensive growth and wild flowering they achieve this by growing in moist, nutrient-rich soils.

It is best to grow phlox in an area where it has been grown for many years lawn grass. Under no circumstances should you plant phlox after strawberries, as you risk exposing it to nematode attack. A good solution would be to choose a site where a good snow cover is created in winter. Tellaria (Tellaria) - the diameter of lilac flowers in the shape of a star with a carmine center is 2.3 cm. The height of the carpet is 12 cm. The flowering period is quite long.

How to propagate such beauty? And it's very simple!

If desired, you can propagate phlox at home stem cuttings. Cuttings should be cut before the buds awaken. They must have at least two nodes.

If the phlox planting site has been successfully found, suitable soil and with proper care, flowers will retain their beauty for six years. Phlox are frost-resistant plants, but warm winters their leaves may rot.

Since subulate phloxes are drought-resistant, planting them in places with excess moisture is disastrous. The best predecessor for phlox is lawn grass, calendula, tagetes and other plants that do not tolerate moisture.

Although the flowers of the creeping phlox themselves are small, their flowering is so rich that the greenery is practically invisible under the large number of flowers. And as mentioned above, under favorable climatic conditions, the awl-shaped phlox can bloom again in September.

Phlox awl-shaped does not tolerate damp places and stagnation of water in the root area, and also does not like acidic soil.

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Subulate phlox planting and care open ground

Flowers are planted along with the stems, cutting off approximately one third. You cannot cut the stems down to the very base, otherwise the plant will freeze in winter. Two weeks before planting flowers, prepare the soil by adding all the necessary fertilizers.

When growing plants on garden plot It is desirable for them to be provided with the conditions in which they grow in nature. Phlox should not be planted near fruit trees- they don’t really like shade, and besides, there won’t be enough flowers nutrients. Plants have a negative attitude towards stagnant water in the root system, so areas with areas close to the surface groundwater they are not suitable. The ideal place for flowers would be light partial shade, sheltering them from the scorching sun during the hottest hours of the day.

Description of the plant

Phlox grows well in loose, depleted and dry places. In areas that are too fertile, it creates a lot of greenery, but is not able to bloom profusely. The right decision before planting phlox would be to add lime to the soil, giving it neutrality.

Temiscaming (Temiscaming) - the diameter of the bright dark crimson flower is 2.0 cm. It grows 15 cm high. It grows actively, which ultimately gives a very dense carpet with beautiful dark red leaves. Propagated well by cuttings.

Plant and buy only healthy and high-quality planting material. Read how to choose seedlings here.

When propagated by cuttings, phloxes are planted in the spring, at the beginning of the appearance of shoots. The queen of the plant breaks off shoots six centimeters long.

In view of which the plants completely lose their decorative effect, but when proper care they can recover. Adding humus will promote rapid growth and abundant flowering.

You cannot plant this type of flower, for example, after strawberries. Like all evergreens, it is advisable to plant the awl-shaped phlox in places where there is a lot of snow in winter.

In Europe, varieties of awl-shaped phlox first appeared in England. After this, phlox became very popular and they began to grow it even in noble English gardens.

Awl-shaped phlox got its name due to the shape of its leaves: narrow, hard, pointed. The common people called it the carpet carnation because it spreads along the ground, and in its geographical homeland it is called the moss carnation.

You should also keep in mind that if you overfeed the plant with nitrogen fertilizers, this will lead to the growth of a large mass of shoots and leaves, and flowering will be weak. Therefore, it is advisable to feed the subulate phlox with complex water-soluble fertilizers 2-3 times - in the spring and during the season.

If it turns out that you did not have time to plant phloxes on time, do not be upset, the plants can be saved. You should find a secluded place, protected from wind and drafts, and carefully bury the flowers to a depth of about 25 cm. For the winter, the seedlings must be covered with peat or fallen leaves.

Phlox awl-shaped, planted and cared for properly, has virtually no problems with flowering. Despite their unpretentiousness, the plants, of course, need basic care.

Before planting, weeds should be thoroughly removed so that they do not subsequently disturb the external beauty of the flower planting. And weeding must be organized in a timely manner, without starting planting. You can plant young plants at intervals of thirty centimeters, and in just a couple of years you are guaranteed to get a beautiful green carpet. All that will be necessary is to arrange the leaves of the plants in the right directions to speed up the process of landscaping the area.

Thank you for your attention and write comments!

Phlox location

Aurora (Aurora) - a star-shaped flower with a diameter of 2.4 cm, the color is almost white with a pale pink tint. During flowering, it resembles snowdrifts 12 cm high.

These cuttings take root quite quickly and by autumn they already grow into full-bodied plants. Cuttings should be planted in boxes or on beds with fertilized soil, with a layer of river sand, and the cuttings should be watered daily.

However, it is worth remembering that it is not recommended to overfeed these phloxes, otherwise the plants will simply “go into leaves”, that is, the tops will be beautiful and powerful, but you will practically not see any flowers. Read here for an idea about why plants bloom.

Phlox will feel great on loose, dry soils. In fertile soil they will produce more greenery than flowers.

In 1746, the famous traveler and plant collector Farrer brought several varieties of moss carnation to his homeland. He called this event a successful discovery for floriculture.

This plant grows in the USA to North Carolina and west to Michigan; in the wild, the flower can often be found on rocky and sandy hills.

Soil for the plant

Caring for awl-shaped phlox is quite simple

Phlox awl-shaped, planted and cared for correctly, eventually turns into a tall one beautiful bush with bright inflorescences, blooming for a fairly long period of time.

If you decide to plant phlox on your site, then it is better to prepare the soil in advance, in the fall. Flowers are usually planted in the spring after the soil has thawed. The most important requirement for the soil in which flowers will grow is moisture and the necessary nutrients.

Planting subulate phlox

They are quite simple and known to everyone: - weeding the area, - watering, - fertilizing.

Phlox owes its name to the shape of its leaves - narrow, harsh to the touch, with points reminiscent of a small awl. People call it carpet or creeping. Let's consider subulate phlox - planting and care, perennial phloxes do not need special efforts in care, can grow even among rocky screes and dry sandy hills.

Amazing Grace (Amazing Grace) – diameter white flower with a bright purple eye is 1.8 cm. This variety grows up to 12 cm in height.

To propagate rare varieties of phlox, use green cuttings or leaves alone. Before budding, the leaves are separated from the plant with part of the stem.

Phlox care

Feeding with wood ash, which contains all the necessary microelements, but does not contain nitrogen, will not hurt. Take half a kilogram of ash and pour three liters of boiling water. Let this solution cool. Dilute it in 10-12 liters of water and use as foliar feeding phlox, and as a natural insecticide that destroys most pests of this plant.

B wildlife they grow in poor soils. Everyone knows that in Moscow and the Moscow region the soils are quite acidic; in such soil they will lack macroelements, but for example, in an alkaline environment there are microelements, therefore the soil is limed before planting phloxes.

Little by little, flower growers created new forms of phlox that appeared as a result of hybridization. Today, the ancestors of the current awl-shaped phlox no longer exist.

In height evergreen, spreading along the ground as a dense mat, can reach up to twenty centimeters.

- this means timely weeding, watering and fertilizing. After spring flowering, you can give the bush a light pruning; this will provoke the growth of many side shoots, which will make your bush even fluffier. About once every 5 years, the bushes need to be rejuvenated, because over time the stems become woody, the leaves die off and bald spots appear.

Such different phloxes…

After planting, phloxes should be watered abundantly. Then, when the flowers take root, it is recommended to feed them with a weak solution of mullein.

As a rule, it is necessary to feed before flowering, when the plant is most active. The best solution There will be the use of nitrogen-potassium compounds. But minerals can be added no earlier than mid-summer.

Phlox reaches a height of about fifteen centimeters. As it germinates, it creates permanently green, dense mats. The stems are recumbent, covered with small narrow leaves. Each stem has a peduncle containing one or two flowers. Phlox flowering begins in mid-May and lasts until the second half of June. The second stage, not so abundant, takes place from August to September.

Reproduction

G. F. Wilson (G.F. Wilson) - the diameter of a light blue star-shaped flower is 1.8 cm. This is probably the most common vigorous variety (carpet height up to 20 cm). It grows and reproduces well.

The lower half of the sheet with the heel is dug obliquely into the wet sand of a bed or exploration box, covered with glass, and sprayed from time to time. Well-rooted cuttings soon produce small shoots, which are planted in the ground in the spring.

In the northern parts, where plants need shelter for the winter, it is necessary to use coniferous spruce branches (it does not acidify the soil).

Depending on the type of soil, the dose of limestone can vary from 230-440 grams per square meter. Most often, dolomite flour is used for liming. On heavy soils, sand must be added before planting.

Our gardens contain garden hybrids that have appeared over the centuries. Unfortunately, domestic phloxes subulates do not exist - apparently due to the fact that this type does not form seeds.

The stems of the plant are very densely covered with small and short, narrow and hard leaves. Each stem has one to two flowers with a diameter of twenty-five millimeters.

The most common way to propagate awl-shaped phlox is to simply divide an adult bush early spring into several parts. By autumn, the “babies” will differ little from the mother plant.

I can imagine very well what associations the word “phlox” will evoke in many people. What immediately comes to mind is my grandmother’s front garden with bright flower caps – the well-known Phlox paniculata. But today we will talk about an equally beautiful “relative” - phlox subulate.

Phlox subulate, planting and caring for which does not provide the moisture it needs, grows low, has small inflorescences, and their number is very small. Such plants fade very quickly.

If the selection of the site is carried out correctly and proper care is organized, then the awl-shaped phlox will always reciprocate your feelings and will gratefully retain its green freshness for at least five years.

Diseases and pests

In its original form, awl-shaped phlox is rarely found. Basically, its various garden forms and varieties are widespread, having a large number of varieties. Flowering creates wonderful decorations for rocky hills, walls, gazebos, and is suitable for borders.

Dujmovotcshka (Thumbelina) – dark green leaves, rich flower diameter pink color, with a dark carmine center, equal to 1.6 cm. Grows well.

By autumn they become full-fledged plants.

Dry leaves will not be suitable for wintering phlox as shelter; they can only be used for plants with non-wintering leaves.

Varieties

Since the root system of phlox lies rather shallow, plants can use a small amount of soil.

All we have are foreign varieties and hybrids produced in England, Holland, USA, Germany, France.

The color can be different: pink, red, white, purple, lilac.

If planting material more is required, that is, another fairly simple way is to cut cuttings. If you use cuttings with a “heel,” it is better to do this in early spring, when young shoots begin to grow. Cuttings up to 6 cm long are carefully separated from the mother plant, placed in a light, permeable substrate and something like a greenhouse is built. For this purpose, you can use an ordinary plastic bag.

Phlox subulata (lat.) is a perennial ground cover plant. It received this name due to its narrow, awl-like leaves that densely cover the creeping stems. During the flowering period, white, pink, lilac, blue flowers up to 2 cm in diameter almost completely hide the foliage. Flowering duration is 30-45 days.

Phlox subulate: cultivation and care

The plant is a cold-resistant species, but if the winter is quite warm, the leaves of the flowers may rot. In this case, plants lose their appearance, but with proper care they recover quickly.

The main advantage of these flowers is their ability to retain their greenery even under snow cover. And even the small size of flowers can charmingly decorate such a green lawn with their abundance.

Coral Eye (Coral Ai) - the diameter of a light pink flower with a carmine center, star-shaped, is 2.0 cm. It grows well (carpet height up to 12 cm) and reproduces.

Seed propagation is rarely practiced. Seeds are sown in open ground in the fall. In early spring, seedlings sprout from the ground in a friendly row, and with the development of the first leaves they dive.

In the spring, to help the phloxes wake up faster, you can water them with a humate solution, this will speed up their growth and root development.

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Phlox subulate - planting and care, perennial phlox

When preparing the soil for planting, you need to carefully pull out the weeds, as they will grow through the turf, and thereby ruin the entire appearance of the flower garden.

What is a phlox plant?

Awl-shaped phlox is unpretentious and flexible, it can grow even in the most difficult growing conditions.

This plant blooms very profusely for the first time from mid-May until almost the end of June, the second time it blooms less generously in August and September.

Periodically, the cuttings need to be ventilated and the soil moisture monitored. Such cuttings take root very quickly and by autumn they turn into full-fledged plants.

Rules for planting perennial phlox

View flowering bush Phlox subulate literally fascinates and attracts attention. In plantings it is used for flower beds, alpine slides, ridges, and mixborders. Small curtains can be used to decorate the edges of paths and the border of the lawn. The awl-shaped phlox of different colors looks very elegant against the background of conifers and plants with decorative foliage. And this species received the name “subulate” thanks to the leaves, which have a needle-like appearance. So that the flowers will delight with their splendor for a long time and have decorative look, they must be fed. Phlox responds very well to feeding from wood ash, which contains potassium and lime. Thanks to such elements, the brightness of the inflorescences increases, in addition, they become more resistant to diseases.

Ground cover plants take pride of place in garden landscape design. They perform two functions: decorative and protective. Brightly flowering and densely leafy mats always emphasize the extraordinary beauty of rock gardens and rockeries. They protect the root system of perennial plants from drying out and grow almost anywhere and in any soil. Phlox subulate is one of the most striking representatives of this group. This flower is very popular not only in garden design, but also in decorating terraces, balconies, etc.

Description

This frost-resistant plant native to North America, it does not require special care. The biggest advantage of this variety is the variety of variegated forms. Therefore, the awl-shaped phlox is considered the most popular plant in landscape design.

Its height is 17-20 cm. The creeping stems of the plant densely envelop the entire surface of the earth with dark green foliage. Each stem bears numerous narrow, sharp leaves. At the top of the shoots there is a peduncle. The flowers are medium in size, 2-4 cm in diameter, depending on the variety. Their colors come in a wide variety of colors - pink, snow-white, purple. Phlox awl-shaped does not bloom for long - for three weeks, from mid-May to the end of the first ten days of June. At good care You can achieve repeated flowering, which occurs at the end of August and ends in mid-September.

Most common hybrid varieties awl-shaped phlox – Maischnee, White Delight, Apple Blossom, Vivid’, Fairy, etc. They are readily used in landscape design for the colorful design of mixborders, retaining walls and gardens. These plants do not require special care or attention.

Subulate Phlox Bavaria – relatively new look with magnificent snow-white flowers, decorated with lilac rays in the center. This is a rare low-creeping perennial, which during the flowering period thins out a light, delicate aroma.

Hybrid Bavaria is valued for its decorative, abundant flowering and frost resistance. Caring for this variety is quite simple.

Awl-shaped phlox is grown in sunny areas where there is no stagnant water. Phlox grow and bloom poorly in wet soil. The best predecessor of this variety is considered to be calendula, lawn grasses, tagetes, as well as other perennial plants that are not tolerated by roundworms and nematodes.

Varieties

"Aurora" (' Aurora‘) - the flower is almost white, has a pale pink tint, looks like white in the flower garden. The flower shape is star-shaped. Diameter 2.4 cm. Forms carpets 12 cm high - real white snowdrifts.

"Amazin Grace" - ve (‘ Amazing Grace‘) - white flower with a bright carmine-purple eye. Diameter 1.8 cm. Forms carpets 12 cm high.

"G. F. Wilson" (' G. F. Wilson‘) is a light lavender-blue, star-shaped flower. Diameter 1.8 cm. Forms carpets up to 20 cm high, considered one of the most vigorous varieties. Branches abundantly and reproduces well. Widely used in green building.

“Thumbelina” (‘ Dujmovotcshka‘) - a flower of rich cold pink color with a dark carmine eye. Diameter 1.6 cm. Forms carpets 10-15 cm high. The leaf is dark green. It grows quickly.

"Coral Ai" (‘ Coral Eye‘) – a light pink flower with a carmine eye, star-shaped. Diameter 2.0 cm. Forms carpets 12 cm high. Grows and reproduces well.

"Candy Stripes" (' Candy Stripes‘) - a white flower with a wide pink stripe in the center of the petal along its entire length. Diameter 1.9 cm. Forms carpets 10 cm high. Flowering is abundant, lush, long-lasting. It enjoys special love and popularity due to its unusual, original, memorable coloring. Reminds me of the Phlox paniculata variety “Mishenka”.

“Maishnee” (‘ Maischnee‘) is a snow-white flower with a beautiful wheel shape. Diameter 1.5 cm. Forms carpets 8-10 cm high. One of the most beautiful and widespread white varieties. Against the backdrop of bright plants, it truly dazzles with its whiteness.

"Nettleton Variegata" (‘ Netteleto Variegata‘) – pink flower. Diameter 1.7 cm. Forms carpets 10 cm high. Valued as a variegated variety. The leaves are dark green with a whitish-pink edge; in the sun the border becomes bright pink. Can be used as an ornamental leaf plant to decorate any flower arrangements.

"Tellaria" (' Tellaria‘) – lilac flowers with a carmine eye, star-shaped. Diameter 2.3 cm. Forms carpets 12 cm high. Characterized by very long flowering.

"Temiskaming" (‘ Temiscaming‘) – the flower is very bright, dark crimson-purple. Diameter 2.0 cm. Forms carpets 15 cm high. Characterized by strong growth, active branching of stems and dense turf. Beautiful dark red leaves. Propagates well from cuttings. Since 1956, one of the most purchased varieties.

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Place for growing phlox subulate: soil and area

Perennial phlox subulates require well-lit areas of land with loose soil. Silty and clay soil is not suitable for them, and the slightest stagnation of water leads to the formation of rot: the planting site should be well lit by the sun.

For subulate phloxes, soil with neutral acidity is needed, but fertilized with organic matter will ensure good development of the bush, but flowering will be inexpressive. It is recommended to “dilute” heavy soil with sand.

Caring for subulate phlox

In fact, awl-shaped phlox does not need any special care. The beauty of this bush is that to be happy it needs a lot of light, light soil, weeding and fertilizer. Weeding is done as the weeds grow, and watering is carried out after the top layer of soil has dried. During dry spring and summer, water phlox sparingly every other day.

Fertilizers and feeding phlox

During the period of active growth, subulate phloxes are given mineral fertilizing, which contains nitrogen and phosphorus. To accelerate the development and establishment of awl-shaped phlox flowers, a little ash, substrate and humus are poured into the planting hole. But be careful with fertilizers: large quantity Phlox grows quickly, but their flowering will be modest.

Wood ash is the optimal fertilizer for phlox of this type. It is used for internal and external feeding, preparing the fertilizer yourself. To prepare, you will need 350 g of ash and 2 liters of boiling water, in which the ash is boiled for 10 minutes. After the mixture has cooled, filter it and add another 10 liters clean water and used for their intended purpose.

Reproduction

Vegetatively and by seed. The simplest and most common way is to divide the bush. Transplantation and division are best done in early spring. The distance between plants is chosen taking into account the height of the bush and the duration of stay in one place, from 35-45 to 50-60 cm.

Under production conditions, propagation of phlox by stem cuttings is very effective. Cuttings are cut before budding begins. Cuttings must have at least two nodes. When propagating by stem cuttings “with a heel,” they are taken in the spring, at the beginning of shoot regrowth. Shoots 4-6 cm long are broken out of the mother plant, separating them directly from the rhizome. These cuttings take root very quickly and produce normally developed plants by autumn.

The cuttings are planted in boxes or on ridges with fertile soil, with a layer of washed river sand, shaded and watered 2-3 times daily with warm water. For reproduction valuable varieties, presented in limited quantities, use leaf cuttings. Before budding, the leaves are cut out with part of the stem. Bottom part the sheet with the heel is immersed obliquely in the wet sand of a nursery or exploration box, covered with glass and periodically sprayed. Rooted cuttings give small plants, which at spring planting Full-fledged plants are planted in the ground by autumn.

Low-growing, creeping species are mainly propagated by dividing the bush and stem cuttings.
Seed propagation is rarely practiced. Seeds are sown in autumn in open ground or for seedlings in February. In early spring, friendly shoots appear, which peak with the development of the first or second pair of true leaves. It is important not to allow the soil to dry out. In the spring of next year, the plants are planted in a permanent place.

Sheltering subulate phloxes for the winter

In the northern regions, spruce branches are used to preserve bushes during winter, but dry leaves are not used. Coniferous spruce branches practically do not oxidize the soil, and after wintering in the first spring days, subulate phloxes are fed with humus.

Some gardeners note that covering phlox in winter leads to damping off of the plant's root system. The plant is not afraid of frost, covered with a thick layer of snow, but wet and warm winters are dangerous. Therefore, phloxes are initially planted in that part of the site in which the accumulation of water during the thaw is minimal.

Pests and diseases of phlox

Phlox subulate most often suffers from powdery mildew, spotting and attacks by caterpillars that eat away the stem. Signs of the first two diseases are limp leaves, spots and dots on the leaves. Diseased leaves are cut off, and the entire planting of phlox is treated Bordeaux mixture. And when caterpillars attack, the leaves of the plants become covered with a brown coating and curl; in this case, the phloxes cannot be saved. It is recommended to spray plants for prevention with Sumi-Alpha or Fury.

Phloxes of this species suffer from nematodes and threadworms; in order to prevent these unpleasant phenomena, phloxes are not planted in the area where strawberries grow. If you nevertheless planted phloxes and they become sick, then they are removed directly with a lump of earth, after which they are eliminated.

Use of phlox subulate in landscape design

Due to the variety of shades of flowers, the compactness of the bush and the unpretentiousness of the plant, it is actively used in landscape design. Phlox becomes a decoration alpine slide, spreading between decorative stones.

The plant is planted in the foreground, and it harmonizes perfectly with the bulbous ones. A rug of green bushes complements the composition, and during flowering the phlox becomes the center of the design. The uniform growth of phlox allows the plant to be used in creating living borders, because from spring to late autumn it pleases the eye with flowers and green shoots, and in winter, covered with snow, it retains its rich color.

Phlox (lat. Phlox)- a genus of beautiful flowering plants herbaceous plants family Sinyukhidae, which includes more than 80 species, including awl-shaped phlox (lat. Phlox subulata), getting its name from the shape of its leaves. Otherwise, this species is called creeping or carpet, and in North America, where phlox subulate comes from, it is called moss carnation. In the wild, phlox subulate is distributed from southern Ontario to North Carolina, and from east to west - from Tennessee to Michigan. It chooses rocky screes, dry sandy hills and the shade of bushes to live.

Planting and caring for phlox subulate (in brief)

Bloom: from mid-May to the second decade of June, re-blooming in August-September.
Landing: sowing seeds for seedlings - in March, planting seedlings in the garden - in the second half of May.
Lighting: bright sunlight or partial shade.
Soil: loose, evenly moist or dry, scanty, sandy or medium loamy, neutral reaction.
Watering: moderate and infrequent. Watering is carried out early in the morning or after sunset, water is poured strictly at the root. In extreme heat and drought, water consumption is from 15 to 20 liters cold water per 1 m² of plot.
Feeding: in the spring - with a humate solution, during the budding period - with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, after flowering - with a complete mineral complex.
Reproduction: seeds, heel cuttings, green apical cuttings and rhizome division.
Pests: stem nematodes, slobbering pennies, leaf rollers, wireworms.
Diseases: rust, spotting, fomoz, verticillium wilt.

Read more about growing phlox subulate below.

Phlox awl-shaped - description

In height it is ornamental plant reaches 10-20 cm, forming dense evergreen mats. Its recumbent stems with short internodes are densely covered with sharp, narrow and hard leaves up to 2 cm long, and they end in peduncles with one or two inflorescences of 5-7 funnel-shaped flowers with a diameter of up to 25 mm. The color of flowers with petals notched at the edges can be white, pink, purple or different shades of lilac. Flowering of phlox subulate begins in mid-May and lasts until the second decade of June, and re-blooming occurs in August-September. Phlox blooms so profusely that the greenery under its inflorescences is completely invisible. But even when flowering ends, the subulate phlox does not lose its attractiveness: its turf remains green even under the snow.

Planting phlox subulate in open ground

Growing phlox subulate seedlings

Plants of this species do not form seeds in our climatic conditions, but seed material can be purchased in nurseries or garden centers, as, indeed, are plant seedlings. Seeds for seedlings are sown in large boxes in March: they are distributed over the surface of a substrate previously disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate in increments of 3-4 cm and only lightly sprinkled with soil. Place the crops on the windowsill, but shade them from direct sunlight. While waiting for germination, the substrate is kept slightly moist using a sprayer for watering. Phlox subulate seedlings are planted in open ground at the stage of development of three to four true leaves. However, growing this type of phlox by seed method- the matter is unreliable. It is much easier to buy plant seedlings.

The moss carnation will require your attention and certain growing conditions, but in principle, planting and caring for the subulate phlox is not so difficult. It needs to be planted in places with the greatest light, after first selecting from the ground the roots of perennial weeds, in particular field bindweed, which is especially dangerous for phlox. The plant can develop in partial shade, but its flowering will not be as abundant as in a sunny place. Phlox prefers sandy or medium loamy soil, scanty, evenly moist or even dry, but it grows well on other soils: it is important that they are loose, neutral and have aeration properties. In heavy soil you need to add sand, and in acidic soil - from 200 to 400 g of dolomite flour or other deoxidizing agent per 1 m², thoroughly mixing it with the soil. The best precursors for phlox subulate are calendula, tagetes and perennial lawn grasses - plants that the nematode does not like. Under no circumstances should you plant phlox after strawberries.

Before planting, the soil is dug up with humus (it is strictly not recommended to use fresh manure as fertilizer), however, both organic matter and mineral complexes should be added in modest quantities, since on well-fertilized soils the plant produces a lot of greenery, but blooms sparingly.

Phlox subulate seedlings are planted in the second half of May in holes located at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. Before filling the holes, the roots of the seedlings are carefully straightened, and after planting, the area is watered and mulched with peat. In a year or two perennial phlox awl-shaped forms a continuous carpet at the planting site: during the season, the shoots of the plant grow up to 25 cm. The plant will bloom in the second year after planting.

Caring for phlox awl-shaped

How to grow phlox subulate

The main point of caring for phlox at the very beginning of its development is the removal of weeds: growing through the turf, they damage the decorative appearance of the planting. Weeding is done with great care and always after watering or rain. By the way, moderation is needed in soil moisture, since subulate phlox can withstand drought without losing its attractiveness, but from excess moisture it gets sick and even dies. Water phlox early in the morning or after sunset, pouring water strictly at the root so that drops do not fall on the leaves and stems. In extreme heat and drought you will need 15 to 20 liters warm water per 1 m² of area: cold water causes the plant stems to crack.

As for fertilizing, it is advisable to adhere to the following scheme:

to stimulate growth and rapid recovery after winter, in early spring phlox subulate is fed with a humate solution;
During the budding period, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied to the soil;
after flowering, phlox awl-shaped is fed with a complete mineral complex;
The best fertilizer for phlox subulate is an ash solution, since it does not contain nitrogen, which has a detrimental effect on flowering. To prepare the solution, you need to boil 300 g of ash in 2 liters of water for 10 minutes, then let the broth cool, strain it and bring the volume to 10 liters with water. If you use the ash solution on the leaves, you can use it not only to feed the plant, but also to protect it from pests.

Phlox subulate after flowering

When caring for phlox subulate, do not forget to promptly remove faded flowers and damaged branches. After the first flowering has ended, prune the plant's shoots back completely to encourage the formation of flower buds. If you prune phlox in the fall, it will not bloom in the spring.

Phlox subulate is largely cold-resistant, so it overwinters without shelter, however, with the onset of frost, the root collar of the plant must be mulched with peat. Mulch will not only protect the phlox from frost, but will also serve as food for it in winter. spring time. If the winter is expected to be cold and snowless, throw spruce branches on top of the mulch.

Pests and diseases of phlox awl-shaped

Phlox awl-shaped in open ground, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, is extremely resistant to diseases and pests, however, if you are careless in care, the plant may suffer from fungal infections. For example, a white powdery coating on the leaves and stems indicates that the phlox subulate has been affected by powdery mildew. The fight against this disease is ongoing copper sulfate And Bordeaux mixture. Reddish-brown spots on the ground organs of phlox may mean that the plants are sick with rust, the pathogens of which can be destroyed with the drug Topaz. Phoma disease causes drying of leaves and fragility of shoots. This disease can be treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur. Septoria blight is diagnosed by brown spots on the leaf blades, which gradually grow and begin to interfere with photosynthesis. As a result of the development of the disease, the plant dies. In the fight against septoria and other fungal infections, preventive treatments with copper-containing preparations are used: make it a rule every spring to spray the planting of phlox subulates with Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate or other copper-based fungicide.

But variegation, which sometimes affects plants in the garden, is a viral disease that cannot be cured, therefore, as soon as you see that streaks and stripes have appeared on the phlox corollas, immediately remove and burn the diseased specimen.

Among the pests, nematodes and caterpillars are dangerous for phlox. The presence of stem nematodes on plants is indicated by changes in the color and shape of leaves, as well as slower growth of shoots. It is useless to fight nematodes, but if crop rotation is observed as a preventive measure, these dangerous pests they just won't appear. And the caterpillars are collected by hand or destroyed with an insecticide against leaf-eating pests.

Reproduction of phlox awl-shaped

We told you about seed propagation of the plant, but more often phlox subulate is propagated vegetatively. For example, green apical cuttings, cuttings with a heel or dividing the rhizome.

Propagation of phlox awl-shaped by cuttings

The best time to take cuttings of phlox subulate is the beginning of budding. The lower, lignified or leafless parts of the shoots are not suitable for cuttings, since they take root very poorly, so tear off the green leafy shoot with a pull so that part of the stem skin remains at its end - these will be excellent cuttings for propagating phlox subulate. It is better to remove the lower leaves on the cuttings.

For successful rooting, you need room temperature and moist, light soil - a mixture of peat and sand, for example, or disinfected garden soil mixed with vermiculite or sand. To create greenhouse effect cuttings planted at an angle are covered glass jars, plastic bottles with a cut off neck or a transparent lid: in such conditions, roots form in just 7-10 days.

Sometimes, when dividing a bush, branches of the plant break off, which can be buried by removing the leaves from their lower part. The planted cuttings are watered and shaded from direct sunlight during rooting. non-woven material– lutrasil or spunbond.

Reproduction of phlox awl-shaped by dividing the bush

When the plant reaches five years of age, the middle of the bush begins to protrude from the ground and becomes bare after each rain. This can lead to the death of the plant from spring frosts. In addition, the flowering of phlox by this age becomes scarce and shorter lasting. To save the plant and restore it decorative qualities Phlox awl-shaped is being transplanted, during which it is advisable to divide the bush. The plant is dug up and divided into parts so that each of them contains strong, healthy roots and several above-ground fragments. The cuttings are planted at a distance of 35 to 60 cm from each other in holes, to the bottom of which you can add a handful of humus or rotted compost. This operation is best carried out in mid-August.

Varieties of phlox subulate

In Europe, the first varieties of phlox subulate appeared in England. Today, species of phlox no longer exist, and the plants that adorn our gardens are the product of hybridization and natural mutation. Breeders from the USA, England, Holland, Japan, France and Germany were engaged in breeding varieties of phlox subulate. We invite you to get acquainted with the most famous varieties plants:

Aurora– a variety up to 12 cm high with star-shaped flowers with a diameter of up to 24 mm almost white with a soft pink tint;
Amazeen Grace– a plant up to 12 cm high with flowers 18 mm in diameter, white in color with a bright carmine eye;
G.F. Wilson– a profusely branching plant up to 20 cm high with light star-shaped lavender-blue flowers up to 18 mm in diameter:
Thumbelina– a variety 10-15 cm high with flowers with a diameter of 16 mm, saturated cold pink shade with dark carmine eye;
Candy Stripes- a bush only 10 cm high with white flowers up to 20 mm in diameter, in which a wide longitudinal pink stripe runs down the middle of each petal. The variety is distinguished by abundant and long-lasting flowering;
Coral Eye– flowers with a diameter of about 20 mm, star-shaped, light pink with a carmine eye on a bush 12 cm high;
phlox subulate Bavaria– a plant up to 10 cm high, covered with a mass of white flowers with lilac eyes;
Temiskamin– an abundantly branching bush up to 15 cm high with dense turf and bright, dark crimson-purple flowers up to 20 mm in diameter;
phlox subulate Scarlet Flame with flowers of bright orange-pink color with a diameter of up to 25 mm;
Maishnee– snow-white, wheel-shaped flowers with a diameter of up to 15 mm on a bush 8-10 cm high. The most popular white-flowered variety in cultivation;
Nettleton Variegata– phlox subulate pink with flowers with a diameter of 17 mm;
phlox subulate Emerald Cuchon Blue– a variety 10-15 cm high with flowers up to 2 cm in diameter of a lilac-blue hue;
Tellaria– bushes up to 12 cm high with star-shaped flowers with a diameter of 23 mm, lilac with a carmine eye.

Varieties can be found on sale.

The decisive factors due to which this blooming perennial is so popular due to its ease of propagation, cultivation and rich flowering. On fertile soils, subulate phlox grows quickly, covering the areas allocated for this crop with a flowering carpet. The vegetative flowering period of most species occurs in July - August, under favorable conditions and the use of certain agrotechnical techniques can be extended until late autumn.

In areas with fertile soil, this plant grows quickly, creating an intense flower patch. Phlox subulate - photos of this species can often be seen in catalogs of landscape designers.

Among the most common varieties you can find miniature species up to 25 centimeters and large tall specimens that grow up to 120 centimeters. A variety of colors ranging from white to red and even purple, through shades of pink, allow you to create magnificent landscape compositions . Separate groups of the latest generation of phlox can be two-colored. Particularly popular among bicolor species are varieties such as Flame Eye and Mint Twist.

The crop is one of the five major spring flowering perennials. This flowering plant belongs to the cyanaceae family, native to the eastern regions of North America.

Phlox subulates are one of the most common species for growing rock gardens. After planting, this ground cover plant through short term forms a decorative dense layer. Looks great on the slopes. A powerful root system allows you to strengthen the desired areas.

Awl-shaped phlox planted along the walls and along the edges of the paths add charm landscape design. Rock gardens allow you to create flowering cascades. Photo best compositions from professional designers can be found in the public domain.

Phlox awl-shaped - characteristics of the species

Growing this flowering plant in the garden creates gorgeous colorful carpets in the spring. pastel colors. Branched thin stems 10 centimeters high, dotted with narrow, pointed, needle-shaped two-centimeter evergreen leaves, grow abundantly and create a continuous cover. The plant has white, different shades of pink, violet, red and even violet flowers.

Landscape designers, creating compositions in parks and squares, use the awl-shaped phlox not only as an ornamental plant that blooms from May to the end of June, but also create compositions that delight the eye with foliage. Favorable conditions and the right place can contribute secondary abundant flowering in August or September. Blooming awl-shaped phlox attracts butterflies.

Habitat requirements

Subulate phlox, photo shows the difference from other varieties of this species, prefers open sunny places , but can grow in partial shade. The plant can be successfully grown in any type of soil. The most preferable is a sandy, evenly moist, humus-rich substrate. It can tolerate drought without loss of decorativeness. The soil must have good aeration properties. It is well tolerated with short-term waterlogging of the substrate. PH – neutral or slightly acidic environment. Phlox subulate is resistant to low soil temperatures, but in especially cold and snowless winters it requires shelter.

Growing and care

Awl-shaped phlox is an undemanding and easy to grow crop. Before planting, the soil should be mixed with well-rotted compost. The seedlings should not be buried too deep. On nutritious, well-drained soils, phlox grows quite quickly and therefore seedlings must be planted at a distance of at least 30 centimeters. Early spring, when the soil has already warmed up well but does not lose moisture, is the time to plant seedlings in a permanent place. Such conditions stimulate growth and have a beneficial effect on abundant flowering.

During prolonged drought, regular watering is required, otherwise the plant may lose its decorative effect. In order to encourage the plant to bloom again, dried flower stalks must be trimmed.

Timely pruning stimulates not only re-blooming, but also contributes to the creation of new dense leaf shoots. The plant retains its beautiful appearance longer and remains healthy.

A radical approach to pruning at the end of winter will rejuvenate the phlox plant.

Reproduction

The plant reproduces in two ways:

by rhizome division;
by apical cutting method.

Dividing the rhizome Best produced after flowering until late autumn.

The phlox mother plant is dug up and carefully divided so that each part has roots and several above-ground fragments. This process can be repeated every two years.

The creeping stems of phlox subulate easily take root and quickly grow in breadth.

At the end of the summer season, removed shoots can be used for rooting. Apical cuttings can be rooted when room temperature in pots. Can be used as a potted plant or planted in a permanent place in the spring.

Diseases of awl-shaped phlox

This ornamental flowering plant is susceptible to the following diseases:

powdery mildew ;
attack spider mite .

At the first signs of infection, phloxes lose their decorative properties. When spider mites appear, the color of the leaves changes, unsightly spots appear on them, which lead to death. At the first signs, it is necessary to immediately take agrotechnical measures. Otherwise, lightning-fast reproduction of pests will lead to the death of the plant. The first step is to increase the humidity. If necessary, use a special chemical composition against pests.

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease. Phlox affected by the disease develop poorly, lose their decorative properties and bloom worse. If urgent measures are not taken, the plants will not develop, will begin to wither and eventually die.

The top layer of contaminated soil must be removed, and the place from which the diseased plants were removed must be treated with a special antibacterial and antifungal drug.

Different varieties of phlox subulate