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Phloxes are perhaps the most common flowers. They can be found in almost every personal plot, in every courtyard of our vast country. Every gardener knows about paniculate phlox. But there are several varieties of these flowers that only appear on the flower beds of Russian flower growers.
One of these plants is subulate phlox. The flower received such an interesting name because of the unusual shape of the leaves - they are pointed, narrow, rigid, which reminds of a well-known instrument.
Brief description of the species
Phlox subulate refers to perennial, carpet, creeping plants. In its historical homeland, in the USA, it is called a moss carnation. The distribution area of flowers is wide enough. If half a century ago phlox grew mainly in the wild nature of North America, now these unpretentious and beautiful flowers are grown almost all over the world.
When growing subulate phlox, it should be borne in mind that in the wild they grow mainly on poor, rocky soils, dry sandy hills, rocky slopes and in the shade of shrubs.
The maximum height of flowers is no more than 15-17 cm. The subulate phlox grows very quickly, forming emerald green rugs. Even before winter, these plants go away, keeping the green brightness of the foliage.
Basal stems of phlox subulate recumbent, covered with frequent nodes with short internodes. The leaves are short (up to 2 cm), narrow, sharp and tough. In the process of growth, the plant forms a large number of stems, which end in bright inflorescences. Each stem can have 2-7 flowers at the same time. Single peduncles are extremely rare.
The flowers of the styloid phlox are small, from 2 to 4 cm in diameter, white, bright pink, lilac, blue, purple shades with different tones. The flowering period of subulate phlox is short, only 3-4 weeks. The plant gains color in the second half of May. Violent flowering continues until mid-June.
Phlox bloom so densely and densely that greenery is practically invisible under the flower carpet. Phlox subulate can bloom and repeatedly, in the second half of August - early September. But the secondary flowering is not so abundant and bright.
There are a lot of varieties of phlox styloid, but they are all the result of selection. These beautiful, inimitable flowers will be a worthy decoration of any personal plot. Very often, these plants are used to compose landscape design compositions, decorating alpine slides, rocky gardens, rockeries, mixborders.
Flowers reproduce mainly in a vegetative way. You can plant subulate phlox with seeds once, and subsequently the plant grows very quickly. Some varieties of phlox practically do not form full-fledged seeds, and therefore these flowers are often sold in pots.
The harsh climate is not a significant obstacle to the cultivation of subulate phlox, as they easily tolerate severe frosts. These plants also do not have special requirements for the composition of the soil.
The only thing that phloxes don't like is prolonged drought. These plants have a superficial root system. Short roots are not able to "extract" moisture from deeper soil layers.
Why are these flowers so popular? First, after abundant flowering, the plants retain the bright green color of the foliage almost until the very frost. Secondly, planting subulate phlox and leaving is not particularly difficult. A novice florist can also cope with this task, and a blooming carpet in your flower bed will be the reward for your efforts.
Conditions for growing flowers
Subulate phlox is a very unpretentious flower that can adapt to any conditions. It can grow both in southern latitudes and in regions with harsh climates. Not picky about the composition of the soil.
However, in order for phlox to please with their long flowering, it is advisable to create conditions for them that are as close as possible to natural ones. Considering that in its homeland this flower grows on sandy or rocky hills, rocky slopes, it means that the soil should not be too fertile.
Before planting the styloid phlox, it is important to know that it can grow in partial shade, but a riot of colors and colors can be seen only if the flower is planted in a place sufficiently illuminated by the sun's rays. Phlox is a light-loving plant.
Thanks to their wild-growing ancestors, flowers can easily endure short periods of drought. But too long dry period immediately affects the appearance of the plant - the foliage becomes pale, faded and unattractive.
When choosing a site for planting subulate phlox, it is important to consider that moisture stagnation has a detrimental effect on plants. Therefore, areas with a groundwater table close to the surface, as well as those on which melt and rainwater stagnate in spring, are unsuitable for growing flowers.
In places with excessive moisture, they grow very slowly, the root system weakens, the whole plant looks sick and weak. The effect of a green and floral carpet is very difficult to achieve. Most often, phloxes inevitably die in such areas. To correct this deficiency, when preparing the soil for planting, you can add sand to the soil and raise the flower garden by 25-30 cm.
When planting perennial styloid phlox, plants that have been grown in the selected area earlier are of great importance. The best precursors for flowers will be plants that are resistant to nematodes: tagetes, calendula, marigolds, kareopsis, perennial lawn grasses, and others.
In no case should phlox be planted in areas where strawberries, strawberries, garlic and other crops that do not have resistance to nematodes used to grow.
It is advisable to set aside for planting the styloid phlox those areas on which in winter there is the most snow. In this case, you will not need to worry about hiding flowers for the winter. A snow cover will sufficiently cover your plants and save them from freezing.
This type of phlox grows well on poor, loose and dry soils. When flowers are grown on fertile, oily soils, a high growth of green mass is observed, however, flowering is very poor, and the flowers become small and pale.
The acidity of the soil should be closer to neutral. Acidic soils need to be limed, alkaline soils need to be deacidified.
How to propagate flowers correctly
The easiest and most affordable way to reproduce phlox is to divide the bush. The best time for this procedure is early spring. Old, overgrown bushes are dug up, divided into several small ones, the soil is prepared for planting, and the plants are planted.
The distance between flowers depends on the height of the plants, the optimal step is from 20 to 40 cm. All varieties of subulate phlox grow rapidly. And literally in a year, a dense, emerald carpet will grow on your flower beds.
You can also plant a moss carnation with stem cuttings. The phlox root system is made up of long, tough "threads" with knots at regular intervals.
To obtain quality material, you need to carefully cut the root cuttings. It is important that on each piece of the root there are 1-2 full-fledged nodes with small roots. It is necessary to cut root cuttings of phlox in the spring, before the budding phase begins.
You can simply separate a few young shoots from the mother plant. Young shoots are separated from the rhizome. It is desirable that the length of the roots be at least 4-6 cm. Such phlox cuttings root well and grow well by autumn.
It is advisable to plant cuttings of rare, valuable varieties of subulate phlox in small boxes or pots. Plantings must be placed in the shade before rooting, inspected daily and, as necessary, watered with warm, settled water. It is possible to transplant shoots into open ground only closer to autumn, in late August - early September.
Unlike other species, subulate phlox is rarely grown from seed, for the reason that most varieties are perennial hybrids that are not capable of producing full, reproductive seeds.
Those rare phloxes that nevertheless multiply by seed are planted in open ground in the fall or grown by seedlings. Sowing seeds is carried out in late February - early March. You need to dive seedlings in the phase of 2-3 true leaves. In the spring, young plants are planted in open ground, observing the generally accepted standards for planting and caring for the styloid phlox (in the photo below you can see what flower seedlings look like).
Planting and follow-up rules
Given the peculiarities of the growth and development of the phlox root system, it is important to properly prepare the soil. Before planting plants, you need to carefully dig up the area, choosing the roots of the weeds. Subsequently, when caring for phlox, it is difficult to weed.
The root system of flowers is concentrated at a depth of 10-15 cm. Later, during weeding, flowers can be pulled out along with weeds. Therefore, the main event for caring for perennial phlox is timely weeding.
The algorithm of actions for planting the styloid phlox will look like this:
- in the prepared area, make planting holes in increments of 20-30 cm;
- place the shoots in the hole;
- fill the holes with soil and compact the ground a little;
- Water the plants abundantly.
If the weather is hot outside, shade the planting for 3-4 days. This time will be enough for phlox to root. After 1-2 years, several young shoots will develop into a green carpet covering the ground.
If you want to speed up the growth process, you can from time to time lay out the growing stems in different directions, slightly pinning them to the ground or sprinkling with a small amount of soil.
Plants begin to bloom in the first year after planting. Flowering is poor at first. But every year, as the green mass grows, the splendor of the flowering only increases.
How to care for flowers
After planting subulate perennial phlox, care consists in carrying out the usual events for each grower:
- watering as needed;
- feeding according to the scheme;
- regular weeding.
Water the flowers as needed. Look at the condition of the soil.As soon as it gets dry, at a depth of 2-3 cm - moisten the flower garden. Abundant watering is not required for plants, since fungal diseases develop rapidly with waterlogging.
Phlox can be fed three times during the season. But keep in mind that with an excess of fertilizer content in the soil, the plants practically stop blooming, directing all their forces to the growth of the green mass.
So you need to fertilize the flowers only if the land is really very scarce. The recommended feeding scheme is as follows:
- immediately before the beginning of flowering and after the last petals have flown around, you can feed the subulate phlox with nitrogen-potassium fertilizer;
- in mid-July - early August, apply a complex mineral fertilizer to the soil.
If your plants look pale, grow poorly, and bloom poorly, you can fertilize phlox with an ash solution. To prepare this mixture, you need to pour 300-400 g of wood ash with water in an amount of 2 liters, put on fire and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, strain and dilute the solution in a bucket of water.
This mixture will not only enrich the land, but also help as a prophylaxis against insect pests.
You need to weed the flower garden as often as possible, preventing the weeds from growing.
With the right choice of a suitable place, proper care after planting perennial subulate phloxes, emerald green carpets will retain their decorative effect for 5-6 years.
Creeping varieties have high frost resistance. However, in warm winters with heavy snowfalls, the stems and foliage can grow out in places. By spring, the plants lose their decorative attractive appearance. But subject to the rules of agricultural technology and care, moss carnations quickly recover and again delight the eye with a green carpet and abundant flowering.
Flowers need to be rejuvenated every 5-6 years. The immunity of old plants is significantly reduced, they are increasingly sick. The root system grows woody over time, the previously lush and thick carpet becomes faded, bare areas appear, gradually the bushes lose their brightness and decorative effect. Age also affects flowering - the flowers gradually become smaller, lose their brightness. Over time, varietal characteristics can be irretrievably lost.
Pests and diseases
Of the diseases for phlox, powdery mildew is the most dangerous. Regular preventive spraying will help prevent disease.
Caterpillars are very fond of moss carnations. The appearance of pests affects the curled, brown-coated leaves. Caterpillars, as a rule, damage the stem of flowers, which, without timely intervention, can lead to the inevitable death of flowers.
Affected plants must be immediately removed from the site, and it is undesirable to plant flowers in this place for 3-4 years.
The most common causes of disease and attacks of insect pests are:
- thickened plantings and poor ventilation;
- lack or excess of moisture;
- excess fertilizer;
- non-observance of recommendations regarding feeding.
Therefore, you should not plant a moss carnation between tall flowers, close to walls and solid fences, too close to each other.
About some varieties of subulate phlox, their features will be told by the author of the video
Conclusion
The popularity of subulate phlox is growing steadily. And not only because it is very easy to grow unpretentious, perennial flowers. The second reason lies in the versatility of the plant.After all, they can be grown not only in flower beds and flower beds, but also in pots, containers, boxes, flowerpots. With their help, you can compose various landscape design compositions, combine them with other plants and flowers, ennoble balconies and loggias, verandas and gazebos. With a minimum of effort, every spring you can enjoy the vibrant, flowering carpet stretching at your feet.
