Chapters

Growing Phlox
Phlox 'White Admiral' - Video Tip
Plants

Phlox - Growing Guide

Growing Phlox

The varieties which we grow are all forms of Phlox paniculata, the perennial phlox. They are all tall growing border perennials which need to be cut down to ground level in the winter or spring to tidy them up before the new shoots appear in spring. Once established they will all grow to around 3ft in height and eventually spread into clumps in the border of roughly the same size. As with most taller growing perennials, you may well need to add plant supports into the border around clumps of phlox to avoid disasters ruining the display in windy or thundery rainfall conditions.

Border phlox all have lance shaped leaves and panicle like cymes of fragrant flowers from summer on to early autumn. They like moist soil but are perfectly happy in sun or partial shade. Both in pots and, also, in the garden border, phlox can be susceptible to powdery mildew attacks in very dry conditions. The leaves become unsightly, and perhaps need to be stripped off, but the flowers are usually unaffected. The problem can vary in intensity in different years but the attacks normally take place late on in the season when the plants may well be going dormant soon anyway. If so, removing the affected stems and leaves to the bonfire will help avoid a recurrence.

P. paniculata varieties can readily be divided in spring or autumn or you can grow on root cuttings in the greenhouse.

The colours of the named phlox which we can offer can be seen in the photographs below this article.