Phlox paniculata perennial, or otherwise phlox paniculata - this is a plant belonging to tall with a height of 40 centimeters to 1.5 m. The plant begins to bloom in summer and continues to throw flowers until autumn. Colors by description can be very diverse - white, yellow, pink, red, lilac, purple, salmon and others. Petals can be monophonic or combine two shades. Flowering is not simultaneous, which allows the plant to remain in a blossoming state for a long time, pleasing to the eye and decorating the flowerbed.
Interesting! Each flower lasts about 10 days.
Biological features of panicled phlox
After flowering, seed bolls form at the site of the panicle. When the seed fully ripens, first the leaves, and then the stems begin to turn yellow and dry out. By the onset of winter, the aboveground part of the plant dies.
Variety Orange Perfection
Note! A powerful root system consisting of thin roots, which tolerates wintering well enough, remains underground. But the older the plant, the lower its frost resistance. Therefore, it is advisable to timely divide the bush.
Varieties of panicled phlox
Today, thanks to breeding work, panicled phlox is distinguished by a wide variety of colors and flower sizes. Some of them are particularly attractive and large in size.
Blue phlox looks unusual, such as the Blue Boy variety, which has increased winter hardiness and a high breeding rate. The variety is medium in height.
Gzhel variety is also distinguished by its blue color. It is not inherent in the uniform color of each petal that is inherent in it, but a smooth transition from a lighter blue to a more saturated one.
Variety Genius
A variety of droplets has blue-lilac shades of large flowers.
For those who want to get a bright orange or salmon shade of a flower, it is recommended to choose a type such as: Watermelon or Orange Perfection.
Snow-white flowers collected in very dense brush inflorescences from panicled phlox - Tiara.
Note! To decorate your garden with flowers, very unusual plants, it is recommended to purchase a genius. Its flowers are petal-like lengths forming fluffy inflorescences of a blue-violet hue.
Phlox Paniculate can have original colors. Such varieties look elegant and spectacular.
If you want to get a variant of the bicolor type, that is, combining two colors, then you should pay attention to the varieties:
- Peppermint Twist- his petals are white, with a pink stripe in the middle, running from the center to the edge;
- Europa variety has white petals, but the center of the flower is pink - it looks like a peephole.
Phlox variety Europe
Phlox paniculata variegated (Phlox paniculata Variegata)
Variegated phlox has colored greens, combining not only shades of green (from the lightest to darkest), but also white or milky spots, usually scattered around the edge of the leaf plate.
The use of panicled phlox in landscape design
A variety of varieties, colors and shapes of inflorescences and flowers in the phlox allows you to choose it for almost any landscape composition. Another spectacular highlight of this plant is a fairly long flowering.
Phloxes are used in the formation of flowerbeds, landscape hills, borders, mixboards, bordering paths, massifs on lawns.
Despite such a multi-functional plant, it is necessary to take into account its specific features:
- such plants should be selected in the composition, which will follow each other in flowering. Perfectly combined with phlox daylily and large hosta;
- if the site is elevated or is a hill - it is better to choose undersized varieties;
- well-lit areas should be selected, since the flowers of the plant are demanding on the abundance of sunlight.
Phlox in landscape design
What you should know about phlox reproduction
This plant is able to breed in several ways. In addition to seeds, it can produce offspring by cuttings or division of rhizomes.
Phlox propagation by cuttings
Cuttings can be carried out year-round, while there is a stalked part of the plant.
Both roots and stems, as well as leaves, are suitable for this process.
Important! If stem cuttings are selected, then it is better to take them during the formation of buds. So the rooting process will be faster.
Cuttings with leaves are best done in the first half of summer. For stem cuttings, strong stems are chosen, without signs of damage by the disease. Take only the part that did not have time to wood. On each handle there should be two nodal parts. Lower leaves must be removed without touching the kidney. Upper - cut in half to reduce moisture loss.
Reproduction of panicled phlox by division of the rhizome
With this method, you need to remove the bush from the soil. Divide it into separate parts, while choosing only strong rhizomes. Next, the roots must be divided into parts of about 5 cm so that at the lower end there are thin tendrils of the roots.
Further, for both breeding options it is necessary:
- prepare a box with soil or a suitable area in an open area;
- plant seedlings or rhizomes in well-moistened soil, after making holes in it with a thick peg according to the 8 by 8 cm pattern;
- sprinkle with sand above;
- from above it is necessary to moisten once again;
- cuttings with roots should be planted in a separate container and only then planted in open ground in the spring, when they take root well enough.
Choosing a place and soil for planting
Since phlox is a "chameleon", it is first necessary to take into account the landing site. After all, flowers can change color depending on the amount of sunlight. You should immediately choose those areas that do not have natural or artificial shade.
Plants also respond well to slightly moist soil. You should not choose a place with a high occurrence of groundwater, because a powerful root system in this case will undergo rotting all the time.
Note! Plants poorly tolerate scarce soil. Therefore, if the soil is poor enough, you must first make all the necessary fertilizers - multicomplex additives, humus, leaf turf, coarse river sand, peat, lime. It is periodically necessary to add organics - the flowers will react to it with abundant flowering and the return of green mass.
Landing at a permanent place
Often, planting material is bought in special nurseries. It is sold in special containers or plastic bags. At the same time, the rhizomes are divided and have a small lump on them.
Such planting material can be planted in open ground, adding a mixture of sawdust and peat in early spring.
Another method for planting phlox is available - seeds. In the open ground, seed is sown in the fall.
Additional Information! Both options are quite effective and simple, since the plant is not demanding and complicated in growing technology.
How to care for phlox
The plant is unpretentious, so it will not cause trouble to its owner, but still require compliance with the minimum conditions of detention.
Trim and garter
Before the plant survives the winter, it must be properly trimmed. The shoots are shortened as much as possible, leaving only a couple of centimeters above the surface of the earth. In this case, fungi and various bacterial infections do not accumulate between two adjacent shoots. The mulching process in this case becomes more comfortable and effective.
Important! As for the garter, it is carried out only for tall varieties. Otherwise, when the wind or heavy rain the plant simply falls to the ground, and sometimes it can even break off.
Flux pruning
How to prepare a plant for wintering
In order for the phlox to survive the winter, it must be cut as short as possible, leaving no more than 5 cm above the ground. Cover with mulch, making the layer sufficiently dense. Also, fertilizer can be added to the mulch, so the plant will winter even better and in the spring it will please immediately with abundant growth.
Priming
Phlox grows on almost all soils, except for marshy and very poor in nutrients.
Therefore, in order to ensure the flower grows correctly, not very nutritious soils should simply be fertilized with organics and periodically introduce the right types of fertilizing.
As for watering, it should be optimal - not to allow stagnation of moisture in the soil, but at the same time, not to dry the earth.
Note! If the autumn is dry, then it is necessary to irrigate before the end of October - so the plant can successfully winter.
Top dressing
To make the soil as suitable as possible for plant growth, fertilizing should be applied twice during the season of intensive vegetation and flowering.
In the spring, nitrogen is used. It is introduced into the soil as irrigation, as soon as the shoots rise 10 cm above the soil. For this, 1 tablespoon of urea is diluted in 10 liters of water.
Before the phlox throws the buds, it is worthwhile to introduce humus in the soil in combination with ash and mineral complex fertilizers.
Panx Flux Fertilizer
As soon as all the stems are cut off in the autumn, you need to mulch with the help of organics and ash. As can be seen from all of the above, caring for phlox is quite simple.
But it must be taken into account that there are also plant diseases.
Diseases and Pests
Most often, this garden culture is attacked:
- stem nematodes;
- mycoplasmas;
- viruses;
- powdery mildew;
- variegation viruses.
Important! If the phlox is affected by a nematode or variegated virus, it is better to tear out and burn the bush.
From powdery mildew and fungi, it is worth processing the planting with copper sulphate, fungicide or tincture made from garlic.
