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Phloxes are perhaps the most common flowers. They can be found in almost every household plot, in every yard of our vast country. Every gardener knows about panicled phlox. But there are several varieties of these flowers that are just appearing in the flower beds of flower growers.
One of these plants is the styloid phlox. The flower got such an interesting name because of the unusual shape of the leaves – they are pointed, narrow, rigid, which is what resembles a well-known tool.
Brief description of the species
Phlox subulate refers to perennial, carpet, creeping plants. In the historical homeland, in the USA, it is called a moss clove. The area of distribution of flowers is quite wide. If half a century ago, phloxes grew mainly in the wild nature of North America, now these unpretentious and beautiful flowers are grown almost all over the world.
When growing styloid phloxes, it should be borne in mind that in the wild they grow mainly on poor, stony soils, dry sandy hills, rocky slopes and in the shade of semi-shrubs.
The maximum height of flowers is no more than 15-17 cm. The styloid phlox grows very quickly, forming emerald green mats. Even before winter, these plants leave, keeping the green brightness of the foliage.
The basal stems of the styloid phlox are recumbent, covered with frequent nodes with short internodes. The leaves are short (up to 2 cm), narrow, sharp and hard. In the process of growth, the plant forms a large number of stems that end in bright inflorescences. Each stalk can have 2-7 flowers at the same time. Single flower stalks are extremely rare.
The flowers of the subulate phlox are small, from 2 to 4 cm in diameter, white, hot pink, lilac, blue, purple shades with different tones. The flowering period of the styloid phlox is short, only 3-4 weeks. Plants pick up color in the second half of May. Violent flowering continues until mid-June.
Phloxes bloom so densely and densely that greenery is almost invisible under the flower carpet. Phloxes can bloom styloid and again, in the second half of August – early September. But the secondary flowering is not so plentiful and bright.
There are a lot of varieties of styloid phlox, 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 vegetatively. Phlox styloid can be planted 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 styloid phloxes, as they calmly endure severe frosts. These plants also do not impose special requirements on the composition of the soil.
The only thing that phloxes do not like is a prolonged drought. These plants have shallow root systems. Short roots are not able to “extract” moisture from the deeper layers of the soil.
Why are these flowers so popular? Firstly, after abundant flowering, the plants retain the bright green color of the foliage almost until the very frost. Secondly, planting the styloid phlox and leaving it are not particularly difficult. A novice florist will be able to cope with such a task, and a flowering carpet in your flower bed will be the reward for the work.
Conditions for growing flowers
Phlox subulate is a very unpretentious flower that can adapt to any conditions. It can grow both in southern latitudes and in regions with a harsh climate. Not picky about the composition of the soil.
However, in order for phloxes to please with their long flowering, it is desirable to create conditions for them that are as close to natural as possible. 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 the riot of colors and flowers can only be seen if the flower is planted in a place well-lit by the sun. Phlox is a photophilous plant.
Thanks to their ancestors growing in the wild, flowers easily endure a short period of drought. But too long a dry period immediately affects the appearance of the plant – the foliage becomes pale, faded and unattractive.
When choosing a site for planting styloid phlox, it is important to consider that stagnant moisture has a detrimental effect on plants. Therefore, areas with groundwater 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, in general the plant looks sick and weak. The effect of a green and floral carpet is very difficult to achieve. Most often, in such areas, phlox inevitably die. To correct this drawback, you can add sand to the soil when preparing the soil for planting and raise the flower garden by 25-30 cm.
When planting perennial styloid phloxes, plants that were previously grown in the selected area are of great importance. The best predecessors for flowers will be nematode-resistant plants: tagetes, calendula, marigolds, careopsis, perennial lawn grasses, and others.
In no case should phloxes be planted in areas where strawberries, strawberries, garlic and other crops that are not resistant to the nematode used to grow.
It is advisable to set aside for planting the awl-shaped phlox those areas where there is the most snow in winter. In this case, you will not need to worry about sheltering flowers for the winter. A snow blanket will adequately cover your plants and save them from freezing.
This type of phlox grows well on poor, loose and dry soils. When growing flowers on fertile, fatty soils, a high growth of green mass is observed, however, flowering is very scarce, 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 deoxidized.
How to properly propagate flowers
The easiest and most affordable way to propagate 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 plants are planted.
The distance between the flowers depends on the height of the plants, the optimal step is from 20 to 40 cm. All varieties of styloid phlox grow rapidly. And literally in a year a dense, emerald carpet will grow on your flower beds.
You can also plant moss cloves with stem cuttings. The phlox root system consists of long, stiff “threads” with knots at regular intervals.
To obtain high-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 nodes with small roots. It is necessary to cut the root cuttings of phloxes 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 take root well and grow well by autumn.
It is advisable to plant cuttings of rare, valuable varieties of awl-shaped phloxes in small boxes or pots. Landings must be placed in the shade until 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, styloid phlox is rarely grown from seed for the reason that most varieties are perennial hybrids that are not capable of producing full-fledged, reproducible seeds.
Those rare phloxes that nevertheless reproduce by seed are planted in open ground in the fall or grown by seedlings. Sowing seeds is carried out in late February – early March. Seedlings should be dived 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 awl-shaped phlox (in the photo below you can see what flower seedlings look like).
Rules for landing and subsequent care
Given the characteristics 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 the site, choosing the roots of weeds. Subsequently, when caring for phlox, weeding is difficult.
The root system of flowers is concentrated at a depth of 10-15 cm. Later, when weeding, flowers can be pulled out along with weeds. Therefore, the main event for the care of perennial phlox is timely weeding.
The algorithm of actions when planting a styloid phlox will look like this:
- on the prepared site, make landing holes in increments of 20-30 cm;
- place the shoots in the hole;
- fill the holes with soil and compact the earth a little;
- water the plants generously.
If the weather is hot outside, shade the plantings for 3-4 days. This time will be enough phlox for rooting. After 1-2 years, several young shoots will turn into a green carpet covering the ground.
If you want to speed up the growth process, you can from time to time spread the growing stems in different directions, lightly pinning them to the ground or sprinkling them with a little soil.
Plants begin to bloom in the first year after planting. At first, flowering is scarce. But every year, as the green mass grows, the splendor of flowering only increases.
How to care for flowers
After planting awl-shaped perennial phloxes, care consists in carrying out the usual activities for each grower:
- watering as needed;
- top dressing according to the scheme;
- regular weeding.
Flowers should be watered as needed. Look at the condition of the ground. As soon as it becomes dry, at a depth of 2-3 cm, moisten the flower garden. Abundant watering is not required for plants, since fungal diseases quickly develop when waterlogged.
Phlox can be fed three times during the season. But keep in mind that with excess fertilizer content in the soil, plants practically cease to bloom, directing all their forces to the growth of green mass.
So you need to fertilize the flowers only if the land is really very poor. The recommended feeding scheme is as follows:
- just before the start of flowering and after the last petals fly around, you can feed the styloid phloxes with nitrogen-potassium fertilizer;
- in mid-July – early August, apply a complex mineral fertilizer to the soil.
If it seems to you that the plants look pale, grow poorly and bloom poorly, you can fertilize the 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 earth, but also help as a prophylaxis against insect pests.
You need to weed the flower garden as often as possible, not giving weeds the opportunity to grow.
With the right choice of a suitable place, proper care after planting perennial styloid phloxes, emerald green carpets will retain their decorative effect for 5-6 years.
Creeping varieties have high frost resistance. However, in a warm winter with heavy snowfalls, the stems and foliage can rot 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.
Once every 5-6 years, flowers need to be rejuvenated. Immunity in old plants is significantly reduced, they are increasingly sick. The root system becomes 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 the disease.
Caterpillars are very fond of moss carnations. The appearance of pests affects the swirling, brown-covered 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.
Most often, the cause of the disease and the attack of insect pests are:
- dense plantings and poor ventilation;
- lack or excess of moisture;
- excess fertilizer;
- non-compliance with recommendations regarding top dressing.
Therefore, you should not plant a moss carnation between tall flowers, close to walls and solid fences, too close to each other.
The author of the video will tell about some varieties of styloid phlox, their features
Conclusion
The popularity of styloid phlox is steadily growing. 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, you can grow them not only in flower beds and flower beds, but also in flower pots, containers, boxes, flowerpots. With their help, you can make 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 will be able to enjoy a bright, flowering carpet stretching at your feet.