

The best preventive measure is to improve air circulation by thinning plants in early spring. Plants growing in partial shade are also more susceptible. The #1 enemy of phlox is powdery mildew, particularly in humid climates during the hot, muggy days of summer. Deadheading the spent flowers may also extend the bloom period and prevent phlox spreading from unwanted reseeding. Phlox doesn’t normally require pruning, but if you want to delay blooming and get bushier plants with more flower heads, pinch or cut back the stems by one-third to one-half in early summer. To keep foliage healthy, water in the morning and at the rootzone, rather than overhead. Ideally, they should receive about an inch of water per week during the growing season. Phlox doesn’t like drought and should be watered during dry spells or whenever you see the foliage begin to wilt. This perennial phlox is hardy in Zones 3-9. stolonifera in that its leaves are linear and 1 inch long. A vigorous, spreading phlox that blooms a carpet of flowers in mid-spring.Common names: Also called creeping phlox, moss phlox.Its leaves are oblong to oval and 3 inches long. A low-growing perennial, hardy in Zones 5-9, that blooms early to late spring.Common names: Creeping phlox, moss phlox.Two-inch long elliptical leaves forms mats of foilage. A spreading perennial, hardy in Zones 3-8, that blooms loose clusters of fragrant flowers in mid-spring.Common names: Wild sweet William, woodland phlox.Oblong, lance-shaped leaves are bright green and 3 inches long. An annual plant that blooms from mid-spring to mid-summer.Common names: Annual phlox, medium phlox.Fragrant tubular flowers are packed densely in panicles and bloom July to September. Pointed elliptical leaves are deep green and 4 to 6 inches long. An upright perennial, hardy in Zones 4-8, that grows in clumps.Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, 2 to 3 feet wide.

Common names: Garden phlox, summer phlox, tall phlox, border phlox.Although phlox are easy to start from seed and often self-sow, the offspring of most cultivars do not remain true to the color of the parent plant.(See more plants that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.) Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.Provides color in the heat of the summer, when many other perennials begin to fade.Long-lived, often lasting in the garden for decades under hospitable growing conditions.By planting varieties of each, you’ll have flowers all summer long and well into autumn. Phlox are often categorized as early season, midseason, and late season bloomers. While most have green leaves, some have variegated foliage with creamy white or yellow margins. The flowers are often sweetly fragrant, and some cultivars have central eyes in contrasting colors. Flowers:ĭainty five-petaled flowers are packed by the dozens into dense clusters, or panicles. Height:Ħ inches to 4 feet tall, depending on the type. Perennials hardy in Zones 3 or 4 through 9, depending on the species Phlox drummondii is an annual.
