Phlox creeping: varieties, features of planting and care

These bright and elegant representatives of the family of cyanotic besides amazing decorative features also have many other advantages. Phloxes are unpretentious and are able to grow in conditions of low illumination and on a wide variety of soils. They are very long in the bouquet, and therefore are great for the decor of the room.

The genus of this plant includes more than seventy species, of which almost thirty are wild, and the rest are cultivated. Only varieties and hybrids of this flower number up to four hundred. In the overwhelming majority they are perennial crops. The most widespread in our country are phloxes, ground-cover creepers. Their flowers bloom in mid-May. Among this species the most widespread is the flock, which is crooked and subulate. He got his name thanks to small oblong leaves that look like an awl.

Description

In height, the evergreen subulate phlox creeping, covering the earth with a dense rug, reaches a maximum of twenty centimeters. The stems of this plant are densely covered with short, fine, stiff leaves. On each stem there is one or two flowers each having a diameter of two and a half centimeters. Color can be very different: pink, red, white, purple (Flox Douglas), lilac, etc. This culture blooms for the first time very abundantly in mid-May and until the end of June, the second time is less generous - from August to September.

Phlox creeping is very hardy. It is considered a real decoration of retaining walls and stony gardens. The stylized phlox creeping many gardeners is loved because of its ability to remain emerald green from the spring until late autumn.

Although its flowers are small enough in themselves, their inflorescences are so rich that they virtually hide leaves and stems. In Europe, the stylized phloem creeping first appeared in England. He immediately became very popular. He began to grow even in English gardens in the estates of the nobility.

Grades of creeping subulate phlox

Snow-white, pink, dark red, purple, purple-blue - these flowers are incredibly beautiful in the garden. It is difficult to list all the shades that the phlox is subulate. Planting and care for this flower is effective even for a beginner gardener. Phlox subulate refers to groundcover. Virtually all varieties of this plant are used to decorate rockeries. In our gardens, many species of phlox are perennial creeping. They start to bloom in late May and look great on the plot. Great love for domestic gardeners and enjoy the adorable flox Douglas, and the purple-blue Rugelli. The main characteristic, which unites all the creeping species of this flower, is a low stalk and dense inflorescences.

Very interesting are such varieties as Candy Streip, giving white flowers with a pink strip in the center, lilac Tellaria, similar to an asterisk, Mayshnee, rapidly growing Thumbelina.

Phlox subulate: landing

The root system of this plant is not deep. During the preparation of the soil before planting, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the place of the weeds. The fact is that they can germinate through the sod and spoil the appearance of the flower garden. It is enough to place the planting material at a distance of twenty-five centimeters from each other, and in a year a continuous carpet will be formed. In order for the growth process to be accelerated, the phlox stems should be laid out in the right direction and secured well.

Planting holes should be dug at a depth of twenty to thirty centimeters, diligently fertilize them with compost or humus, mixed with ash and superphosphate fertilizers.

Requirements for soil

All creeping phloxes feel great on loose, dry soils. This is amazing, but on fertile soils they form more green than inflorescences. The fact is that in the wild they always grow on "poor" land. In regions with acidic soil phlox will lack macro-elements, so before planting the soil must be limed. Most often, dolomite flour is used for this. Depending on the type of land, the amount of limestone can be varied from 230 to 440 grams per square meter. On heavy soil immediately before planting in the fossa must necessarily make sand.

Care for flox

It comes down to weeding, watering and three meals a day. With the correct choice of the landing site, suitable soil and proper care, the flock creeping helical retains its beauty for about six years. And although this plant is frost-resistant, in the warm winter its leaves vyprevayut. As a result, the phlox may lose its decorative effect, however, with proper care can be restored. Added to the ground humus promotes rapid growth of the plant and its abundant flowering. This plant is very fond of light and fertilizer. However, it should be remembered that it can not be overfed. Otherwise, the force of the phlox will "go into the leaves", and it will have a beautiful and powerful greenery, but flowers can not wait. Watering should be rare and not very abundant.

Phloxes, reaching the age of five, must necessarily be rejuvenated, as their stems begin to gradually "rustle", and the foliage - die. In addition, adult plants are more susceptible to various diseases, and the flowers on shrubs growing more than five years in one place, grow smaller, and the bush itself seems to be weakened. The culture often requires the addition of wood ash containing all the necessary trace elements except for nitrogen.

Phlox creeping: reproduction

Most breeders believe that the fabulously beautiful bright low bushes of this plant are the most unpretentious and spectacular crops used to decorate gardens. The subulate phloem is propagated both vegetatively and by seeds. The easiest and most common way is to divide the bush. The transplant is carried out in the spring. Distance between the bushes should be a maximum of thirty centimeters. If desired, at home, you can propagate the plant and stem cuttings, which are cut before the buds awaken. They are planted in the ground in early spring. Cuttings quite quickly take root, and by autumn they are full-grown plants. Reproduction by seeds is practiced very little.

Peculiarities of growing

In northern regions, where plants need to be sheltered for the winter, it is better to use firry lapnik for phlox, which will not acidify the soil.

Dry leaves are not suitable for this. In the spring, in order to help the phlox to wake up faster, it can be poured with a solution of humate. This accelerates both its growth and development of the root system.

The best predecessors for styloid phlox are calendula, lawn grass, tagetes and other crops, which also do not tolerate an excess of moisture. You can not plant this plant, for example, after strawberries. Like other evergreen crops, the subulate phlox is preferable to plant in places where there is a lot of snow in winter.

Pests

Shilovid phloxes most often suffer from powdery mildew and various caterpillars, which quickly damage the stems of the plant. Defeat can be seen from the swirling brownish leaves. Such areas must be removed immediately.

On such places, it is not recommended to plant the phlox for three years. This plant can get sick from poor airing, as well as from a lack of fertilizer. You should not plant phloxes very close to each other, so as not to infect adjacent bushes.