Drummond Phlox is a very popular plant among our gardeners. We often see phloxes in flower beds and flower beds, in personal plots and in parks, and many do not even suspect that growing these flowers is quite simple.
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What does Drummond phlox look like
The plant forms low bushes up to 50 cm, but very branched. From a phlox a continuous carpet of bright flowers can grow, thanks to a huge number of inflorescences. The leaves of the flower have narrow, elongated, opposite on the stem.
Phlox blooms very luxuriantly, continuously, grown through seedlings or sowing seeds. The plant looks very decorative throughout the season, until the autumn frosts.
The color scheme of phlox inflorescences is very diverse. The color of the flowers varies from snow-white to burgundy-cherry. The only exception is yellow.
The most common varieties with description
Many varieties of phlox have been developed. The most popular and love is the Button variety, characterized by the intensity of branching. His flowers come in both pure white and various shades. The plant is quite drought tolerant, and can be successfully grown in the south.
A very beautiful variety of Chanel, which grows only up to 20 cm. Flowers up to 3 cm, terry. Petals have a peach color.
A very popular type of phlox is Star rain. The variety reaches 50 cm, has decorative flowers in the shape of stars, tolerates a sharp drop in temperature, but loves light.
An excellent variety with terry Promis flowers. Reaches 30 cm, flowers have a various color.
How and when to plant a plant
To grow an abundantly flowering plant, it is important to know when to plant Drummond phlox. Mostly, these flowers are perennials, although annual phloxes that are easier to grow from seeds have also been bred. Landing is carried out with the onset of warm days.
Phlox propagation through seedlings is mainly carried out by flower growers, who have time for care and a place for a large number of pots with plants. Phloxes grow well if they are sown immediately in the ground.
Choose a place in the sunny area and dig it up with a bayonet. Then make shallow furrows with a hoe and spill them with water. Moisture must be completely absorbed. Two or three seeds are simultaneously placed in one well, leaving about 15 cm of seed between the plants.
If three seeds sprout simultaneously, weak sprouts can be removed. After a couple of weeks, you can wait for seedlings. Until this time, the bed needs to be covered so that the earth remains moist.
When the first sprouts appear, the earth around them is loosened and nitrogen fertilizers are applied along with watering. After a couple of weeks, supplemented with complex mineral fertilizer. In the case of sowing seeds into the soil, flowering will begin in July, but it will certainly last until the fall.
It is possible to plant phlox in the fall, as they winter well in the ground. Do it in October. When autumn sowing between seeds, you need to leave 5 cm.
Outdoor Flower Care
The main rule of care is that phlox will hurt due to dampness. Therefore, watering should be regular, as the soil dries.
It is necessary to regularly loosen and weed the soil around the bushes, as weeds can clog them. Phlox inflorescences are not afraid of small frosts and rains.
So that phloxes bloom for a long time and abundantly, during the period of growth and budding, they are fed with complex mineral compositions. You can not be zealous with fertilizers in which there is a lot of nitrogen, this substance can stop flowering. Wilted inflorescences are removed by cutting.
Plant propagation methods
Phlox can be propagated in different ways, and the simplest and not heavy is the division of the bush, suitable for perennial varieties.
You can divide the bush into several delenki in the spring or even in early autumn. Suitable for this plant, which is already more than five years old.
The selected bush is dug up, the rhizomes are cleaned from the ground, and then they are simply cut with a sharp tool into several pieces. Each dividend must have eyes and shoots. Planting should be carried out immediately, as soon as the bush is cut, otherwise the plant may die.
Still phloxes are well propagated by leafy cuttings, but this method is more time-consuming. A leaf with a part of the shoot is cut from a strong stalk and placed in water. You can deepen the cuttings in moist soil and sprinkle with sand. The cuttings are deepened by 2 cm. The sheet should remain above the ground and be inclined.
Then the container with the cuttings is tightened with a film to create a greenhouse effect. The optimum temperature for rooting is +21 degrees. Rooting will begin in about a month. All this time, the landing net is watered and aired, protected from the direct sun.
In May, these flowers can be propagated by stem cuttings. Shoots are cut into cuttings, but so that each has two knots. The cut is done immediately under the node. The lower leaves break off. And the upper one is cut in half.
Cuttings are planted in a nutritious soil mixture to a depth of up to the second node and covered with moist sand. It is advisable to keep the containers in a greenhouse. Cuttings give roots after a couple of weeks. Care for stem cuttings is exactly the same as for leaf.
Annual phlox is propagated only by seed.
Protection against diseases and pests
Phlox when grown in the garden can be hit by a tiny worm that sucks juices from the roots. If the bushes begin to turn yellow and quickly fade, you need to dig up and check if the roots are affected by the filamentous worm. Unfortunately, sick specimens in case of defeat by this pest will have to be dug up and burned.The soil in which sick phloxes grew is shed with Nematocide for two months once every two weeks.
Still phloxes love to feast on slugs. So that these pests do not attack the bushes, the earth around them is sprinkled with ash mixed with tobacco dust. Helps scare away slugs and fluffy lime.
From attacks of other insect pests, plants are treated several times with insecticides against insects in the garden during the growth period.
Phlox can be called disease-resistant flowers, but still they can get root rot if the bushes are overfilled.
Combination with other plants
Drummond's phlox, unsurpassed in beauty, which cultivation on the personal plot is very fascinating occupation, is perfectly combined with many other blossoming inhabitants of a garden. Usually, other photophilous plants with different flowering periods are planted next to phloxes. These are edelweiss, salvia or sage, yarrow, cloves, thyme, bells, stonecrops, stalks, youngsters and many others.
Drummond Phlox in Landscaping
Phloxes look great in the middle of an emerald lawn, next to the dark green of conifers, which sets off bright inflorescences. An excellent neighborhood is the ornamental shrubs and trees.
Very often, phloxes are included in green compositions when creating a bright summer flower bed, or are flower beds with plants blooming at different times.
Multi-colored inflorescences of phlox can decorate a place for relaxation, for example, a flower garden next to a bench. Phloxes are amazing, unpretentious flowers that delight with their lush flowering and delicate aroma for a long time.
