Phlox paniculata
Tall Phlox
Common names: Flame Phlox, Perennial Phlox, Flame Flower
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −25 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The tall phlox bears large fragrant flower spikes in pink, white and violet from July to September and fills the late summer garden with its typical honey sweet phlox scent. Butterflies and moths love it. As a classic field garden perennial it forms impressive clumps over the years.
Care instructions
Plant the phlox in loamy evenly moist soil in a sunny to partially shaded spot and always water from below at the root because wet foliage promotes powdery mildew. Thin dense clumps in spring so that only five to six strong shoots remain to keep it airy and healthy. Prune spent flowers and it will bloom longer.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, well-drained, moist, nutrient-rich
Tall phlox wants deep, humus-rich soil that stays evenly fresh to moist. It tolerates drying out poorly, because drought stress makes it prone to powdery mildew. Loamy, humus-rich garden soil is ideal; improve sandy soils generously with mature compost before planting so that they hold water. It likes neutral to slightly acidic soil (pH 6 to 7) and needs no lime; strongly chalky, alkaline soils suit it less well. Waterlogging is also harmful; the soil must stay free-draining.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Mar, Apr, Jun
In early spring (March/April), as soon as the new growth is visible, work a generous layer of mature compost shallowly around the perennial and add horn shavings; this gives a long-lasting boost at the start. In late May to early June, a second, light helping of compost can support flower formation. Stop feeding by early August at the latest so that the plant goes dormant in time. A mulch layer of compost or slightly wilted grass clippings keeps the soil moist over summer and reduces the need for feeding.
Overwintering
Tall phlox is hardy and gets through winters in the lowlands of Germany, Austria and Switzerland outdoors without trouble. Cut the stems back to about 10 cm in autumn, or leave them standing until spring as insect shelter and root protection. Because phlox is shallow-rooted, a loose mulch layer of leaves or brushwood over the root zone helps against frost desiccation and waterlogging, but is not necessary for survival.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- Cuttings
- From seed
Division (recommended main method): Divide tall phlox every 3 to 4 years in early spring (as soon as the new shoots are 5 to 10 cm tall) or in autumn after flowering. Dig up the clump completely, pull it apart with your hands or two garden forks and replant strong outer pieces with several shoots immediately; you can discard the exhausted centre. Water in well and keep evenly moist for the first weeks.
Stem cuttings: From May to early June (before the buds form), cut strong basal shoots about 8 to 10 cm long just above the ground. Remove the lower leaves so that the lower half of the cutting is leafless, and insert it in fresh, sandy, low-nutrient seed compost. Place it in a bright spot, but not in full sun, and keep the air and the soil evenly moist. After about 3 to 6 weeks a root system has formed; then you can prick out the young plants or plant them outdoors.
Root cuttings (November to December, recommended in case of eelworm infestation): This method is especially valuable because stem eelworms (Ditylenchus dipsaci) do not penetrate the roots, so you reliably obtain healthy, infestation-free offspring from an otherwise vulnerable plant. In November, expose some of the thickest roots, cut pieces 4 to 5 cm long and note the polarity (top end up). Lay them flat, about 2 cm deep, in seed compost and keep the pot cool and frost-free at around 5 to 10 °C. The pieces sprout in spring.
Sowing (only for wild forms, not for cultivars): Sow in February/March in a seed container and keep it cold (a cold spell of about 4 weeks at around 5 °C promotes germination), or sow directly outdoors in autumn. Phlox is a cold-stratification and light-germinating seed: only press the fine seeds down, do not cover them with soil. This does not give you offspring true to type (the seedlings flower in the most varied colours), so phlox cultivars are passed on exclusively vegetatively.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
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