Phlox annual description. Recommendations for caring for annual phloxes. Possible problems during cultivation

The only species of annual Phlox is Drummonda, named after the English botanist who brought this flower from America to Europe. This is how the history of the development and breeding of new varieties in Russia and Europe began. It is amazing beautiful flower no less popular than perennial phlox. It has many different varieties, shapes and shades of color. Phlox Care Guide.

Annual phlox: varieties, description and photo

The main and only one annual species of Phlox is Phlox Drummond, of which several varieties have been bred:

Annual Phlox Drummond

Phlox Drummond “Constellation” - the flowers of this variety have various bright and light shades of colors, are about three centimeters in diameter, and have a fragrant aroma. The plant is highly branched. Inflorescences in the form of small corymbs. This variety of annual Phlox is used for cutting, and it is also planted in groups in flower beds.

Phlox "Constellation" pink-red

Phlox Drummond Promise Pink - this variety is a low-growing phlox, growing up to 20 cm in height. The flowers are unusual, double pink in color. They like to use this variety to decorate rocky hills and flower beds in gardens.

Annual phloxes - planting and care

Annual phloxes are unpretentious when growing and caring for them. They are not particularly demanding on the soil, however, they grow better in fertile soil. All annual phlox bloom from June to September and can withstand frosts down to -2 degrees. Sites for planting annual phlox should be chosen in the sun. Read what they exist and what they look like.

On sunny days, annual phloxes acquire a brighter color than on rainy and cloudy weather.

To care for this plant, you need to regularly loosen the soil around the flower and water it moderately. You can fertilize the flowers with a mineral complex a couple of times. For more lush and long-lasting flowering, it is better to pick off faded branches and inflorescences.

• Annual phloxes are grown from seeds in early spring.
• The best time to sow seeds is the beginning or end of March. The thing is that the seeds germinate very slowly, it takes at least three weeks.
• Sowing should be kept at a positive temperature of approximately 12 - 15 degrees and watered evenly.
• When the first leaves appear, the seedlings must be planted in pots to strengthen the root system.
• Then, at the end of May, the strengthened plants are planted in the ground.

These fragrant, beautiful flowers came to Europe from North America in the middle of the 18th century and became inhabitants of lawns, gardens, ridges, borders, and often even balconies. It is possible that the harsh climate of their homeland endowed them with strength, unpretentiousness, and vitality.

Phloxes (translated from Greek as “flame”) belong to the genus herbaceous plants from the cyanaceae family. They number about 70 species, and only a little more than half of them are grown.

Among the many varieties and varieties, Drummond's annual phloxes are in favor with professional and amateur flower growers. Compared to their long-term “relatives”, they have long held the palm. This is largely due to the wide variety of varieties, flower shapes, and their shades compared to perennials. They look great on alpine roller coaster, flower beds. They can decorate the space near houses using decorative containers.

One complex inflorescence of phlox can contain about 90 flowers. Each of them has 5 stamens and bent petals, 1 pistil.

Their tubular-funnel-shaped shape resembles simple, semi-double and double stars, snowflakes with a rich palette of tones and halftones. These are beige, cream, red, pink, yellow, blue, purple, brown, black and other colors.

Phloxes have an amazing ability to change their appearance, responding to the vagaries of “Mother Nature” and the climate. So, for example, in the bright sun their colors become brighter, but in cloudy times they dim.

And the bushes themselves, with their green mass of developed shoots, resemble a colorful ball. Under more favorable conditions, they will be erect, even up to 1.5 m high. Phlox subshrubs are also found.

And those growing at high altitudes will be bryophyte and low-growing up to 25 cm with evergreen leaves. The most commonly grown phloxes are erect ones with entire, sessile, oval, lanceolate, oblong ovate leaves.

If you know and know how to grow such plants, then you can admire their delicate beauty from spring to early autumn. After all, according to the flowering time, they are early, middle and late.

There are possibilities for propagating phlox vegetatively:

• layering
• cuttings
• bush division

However, many gardeners prefer to use seeds for propagating seedlings. From them you can grow fairly strong seedlings suitable for planting in due time.

After all, even seeds that fall into the ground in the fall give up to 70% germination in the spring. And yet, we invite you to get acquainted with some of the nuances of planting seeds with your own hands for efficient cultivation seedlings.

When to plant seeds for seedlings

An important argument in favor of growing phlox seedlings is to avoid cases of seedlings freezing from seeds that have fallen into the ground. Along with this, plants from seedlings have longer flowering periods.

Preparation for planting seeds of annual flowers begins from late February to mid-March. Such timing allows you to see the infructescence after 2 months in May. And the seeds sown directly on the site at the same time germinate and bloom only from the end of September.

This process consists of preparing the soil, containers, the seeds themselves, as well as creating optimal lighting, temperature regime. At the same time, in each of these stages there are nuances that should not be ignored.

Preparing soil and seeds

Loose soil consisting of peat, rotted humus, lime, sand, and mineral fertilizers is suitable for planting seedlings. It is placed in various containers (boxes, containers, cells, peat pots, etc.). Then the soil is moderately moistened and sowing of seeds begins.

Sowing seeds

Held in March. Despite the density of large seeds, they do not require deep penetration into the soil mixture, but good lighting. They are simply scattered over the surface, lightly pressed with the palm of your hand and sprayed a little with a spray bottle.

After this, the container with the planted seeds is covered with transparent glass or film and placed in a warm and bright place, for example, on a windowsill. It should be no lower than +23 °C.

Next, the future seedlings are ventilated daily, sprayed, and the condensation formed is carefully shaken off the film/glass. As soon as the small roots of the hatched seeds attach to the ground, the transparent “shelters” are removed. After 7-10 days, the first shoots already appear.

Seedling care

It consists of picking 2-3 weeks after the appearance of the first true leaves at a distance of more than 15 cm, uniform lighting at a temperature of +20°C.

Moderate watering through a spray bottle is carried out when the top layer of soil is dried. To harden the seedlings on the eve of planting them outdoors, you need to lower the temperature to +15 °C and increase the frequency of watering with the addition of mineral fertilizers.

When 4-5 leaves appear, the plant is pinched to create bushy bushes.

After the onset of stable warmth in May, the seedlings are transplanted into areas with light, fertile soil, saturated with vermicompost and compost. “Heavy” soil must be lightened with sand, organic matter, and peat. The best option– sandy, non-clay soil with good drainage, medium acidity.

When planting seedlings on a site, choose a place in partial shade where direct solar radiation does not penetrate. Taking into account the future height and spreading nature of adult phloxes, a distance of about 20 cm is maintained between “neighbors” ( Snapdragon, bells, etc.).

Planting is carried out in a small hole with the addition of ash (up to 150 g). A seedling with horizontally straightened roots is placed there and lightly covered with soil.

After the "relocation" to open ground Growing phlox is quite easy and enjoyable.

The main principle of caring for annual phloxes in the summer is not to interfere with their growth!

To comply with it you will need:

1. regular watering in hot weather, because the plant withers during drought due to overheating of the root system
2. periodic careful loosening of the soil to ensure its breathability. In the 2nd half of the plant's growing season, hilling is carried out to form the root system
3. pinching shoots to create fullness of the bush and speed up the onset of flowering
4. 4-fold feeding mineral fertilizers, organic:

• the first one is carried out at the end of May with manure,
• the second - in early June with liquid manure with superphosphate / potassium salt,
• the third - in the first ten days of July only with liquid manure, the 4th - at the end of July with phosphorus and potassium salt. For abundant flowering, the plant can be fertilized with ammonium nitrate several times a season.

Mulching the soil around the plants will help increase the effect of these simple agricultural techniques. You can grow phlox again next year using your own seeds.

You need to select your favorite flower varieties for subsequent breeding on time. To do this, the branches, along with large bolls that have already begun to turn yellow, need to be cut off after flowering has completed.

Further ripening of the seeds will occur in a paper or linen bag, but not a plastic bag. After cracking the oval box, the seeds remain in the same bag.

All that remains is to sort out the ripest, largest planting material and store it in a dark, dry, cool place until next sowing in the spring.

Drummonda has 2 varieties:

• Large-flowered phlox, which can grow to a height of about 30cm. Their rather large inflorescences are characterized by a variety of colors, but phloxes with red tones look especially attractive. These include varieties such as: Tall white, Tall bright red, Tall fiery red.
• Star-shaped They are distinguished by their greater height (up to 40 cm) and less often - lower ones up to 15 cm. Bright flowers externally they resemble stars with an eye in the middle.

Some gardeners classify annual phlox not only by these characteristics, but also by their low height of up to 20 cm. These are the so-called dwarf flowers.

Today the most common varieties of Drummond are:

Annuals phlox, we sow seeds Drummond Phlox: video

We hope that with the help of these basic information, you will be able to realize your design ideas for garden and home improvement.

The homeland of phlox is North America. The harsh climate of this country endowed them with strength and vitality. They are very popular in European countries, and in Russia they have earned the love of flower growers due to their unpretentiousness and pleasant appearance. According to the flowering time, phloxes are spring, summer and summer-autumn. There are about 70 species of phlox, but only a little more than half of them are grown.

Phlox belongs to herbaceous crops from the Sinyukhov family and is similar in description to hydrangea. The appearance of representatives of this genus differs even within the same species. Characteristics vary depending on climatic conditions. For example, at an altitude of 4 km, mainly low-growing and bryophyte crops grow. They have branched stems and evergreen leaves. The height of the crop reaches 5-25 cm. In more favorable conditions, you can find upright bushes 30-180 cm high.

Phlox generally have an erect stem shape. The foliage is located opposite, its edges are solid. The shape of the leaves is oval-lanceolate or oblong ovoid. The flowers are approximately 2.5-4 cm in diameter. They are collected in complex inflorescences of 90 pieces. The fruit looks like an oval box.

All phlox that can be grown in the garden are perennial crops, but there are exceptions. Phlox Drummond and many of its varieties are annual.

The following plant varieties are distinguished:

1. 1. Star rain. The variety is resistant to drought and frost. Its representatives bloom for a long time. The plant looks like a shrub up to 0.5 m in height with a straight stem that branches heavily. The inflorescences are in the form of brushes and have a pleasant smell. The flowers look like stars in shape. For this variety you need to choose a bright place.
2. 2. Twinkling star. The culture is a small shrub up to 25 cm in height. The difference is the pointed petals. Thanks to small sizes The plant is grown not only in open ground, but also at home. For example, you can plant it in a flower pot and leave it on the balcony or windowsill. The flowering period lasts from the beginning of summer until the end of September.
3. 3. Terry phlox. The variety appeared relatively recently. It is named so because of the unusual structure of the petals. The shrub itself is 20-30 cm high. It is covered with large inflorescences that have the shape of scutes. Their shades are very different: white, pink, cherry. This crop is also great for growing in pots.
4. 4. Constellation. The variety has light and bright shades. The inflorescences are no more than 3 cm in size. They have a pleasant fragrant smell. The plant branches heavily. The inflorescences are shaped like corymbs. Typically, this variety is used to create bouquets, as well as for growing in groups in the garden.

There are also low-growing annual phloxes. They grow to a height of only 20 cm. They look like branched shrubs, their foliage is pubescent. These varieties are great for growing on window sills and balconies. An example is Promise Pink: the inflorescences are double and have pink tint. This variety is usually used for flower beds in gardens and rock gardens.

Growing phlox from seeds

When growing from seeds, it is better to use the seedling method: this will help avoid freezing of the seedlings. In addition, in this case the flowering time will be longer.

Preparing seeds for planting must be done from the end of February to mid-March. Thanks to this, fruit will appear within 2 months - in May. And if at the same time you sow the seeds in open ground, the buds will bloom only by the end of September.

Growing seedlings involves the following steps:

1. 1. Prepare the pots. These can be containers, boxes, cells, peat pots. There must be holes at the bottom for draining water.
2. 2. Pour drainage into the bottom of the pot. You can make a 2 cm layer of pebbles, gravel, expanded clay, small stones, broken slate or brick.
3. 3. Prepare the substrate. The soil should be loose and include rotted pus, peat, sand, lime, and mineral additives. The substrate should be poured into the pot and moistened before sowing the seeds.
4. 4. Prepare seeds for sowing. It is recommended to first keep them in water for several hours or a whole day.
5. 5. Plant the seeds in the ground. The material should be planted shallow. It is enough to scatter them on the surface and press a little with your palm. Spray the top with water from a spray bottle.
6. 6. Cover the container with transparent plastic film or glass and place in a warm place with good lighting. The temperature must be at least 23 0 C.
7. 7. Ventilate the container every day: remove the top cover for a while, for example half an hour. Spray the soil periodically. It is necessary to shake off the condensation that forms from the film.

When the seeds begin to open, the film should be removed. After about 1-1.5 weeks, the first shoots will appear.

After the first true leaves have formed on the seedlings, after 2 weeks you need to pick, that is, plant the sprouts so that there is a distance of 15 cm between them. The temperature should be 20 0 C. When the top layer of soil dries, it is moistened with a spray bottle. For hardening, the temperature must be reduced to 15 0 C. Gradually, the frequency of watering should be increased. When 4 true leaves appear, you need to pinch them so that the bushes become more luxuriant in the future.

In May, plants are planted in open ground. It is necessary to ensure that the soil on the site is saturated with humus. If the soil is too heavy, then it is necessary to add peat, sand, and organic fertilizers. The best option The soil is non-clayey, sandy with an average level of acidity.

It is best to choose a place in partial shade, where there is no direct sunlight, otherwise they will leave burns on the plant. A distance of 20 cm is required between the bushes. Planting should be done in small holes. It is recommended to add up to 150 g of wood ash to them first. Place the root system there, straighten it and cover it with soil. In the end, all that remains is to compact it and water it.

Rules of care

Caring for annual phlox involves the following activities:

1. 1. Watering. It should be moderate but regular. Usually per 1 sq. m, 1.5-2 buckets of water are enough. She must be room temperature, settled. You can use rainwater. In dry weather, watering is recommended in the morning and evening. Water should be poured directly under the root. It should not be too cold, otherwise the roots will crack.
2. 2. Loosening the soil. This only needs to be done 2 times a month. In the second half of the growing season, it is additionally necessary to hill up the crop: thanks to this root system will form much faster.
3. 3. Feeding. It should be done several times a season. Both mineral and organic fertilizers are suitable for this. At the end of May it is necessary to use liquid manure. You will need 25 g per bucket of water. At the beginning of summer, it is necessary to add the same amount of potassium salt and superphosphate to this product. In July it is necessary to use liquid manure again. In August, it is necessary to fertilize the crop with phosphorus and potassium salt - 1 tbsp. l. for 2 liters of water.
4. 4. Mulching. It makes the soil breathable and prevents drying out. Leaves, dry peat, compost, and humus are suitable as mulch.
5. 5. Pinching. Young shrubs should be treated in such a way that they later branch better.
6. 6. Trimming. When the inflorescences fade, it is necessary to trim them so that the plant retains decorative properties and attractive appearance. Thanks to this, flowering will last longer. In addition, this will prevent self-seeding in the future. Around mid-autumn, the stems are cut at ground level. There is no need to leave stumps.

If you liked the planted varieties of phlox, then after the fruits have formed, you can collect seeds for further cultivation of such a crop. To do this, when the branches, along with large boxes, begin to turn yellow, they need to be cut off. In the future, the seeds will ripen in a fabric bag or paper envelope. But it is not recommended to use plastic bags. When the box cracks, all that remains is to sort out the largest and ripest seeds. The material should be stored in a dry, dark and cool place until the next season.

1. Leaves dry out and fall off. This is due to a lack of water in the soil. As soon as watering is resumed, the plant will begin to develop again. It is recommended to spray the plant with a spray bottle. Sometimes leaves begin to dry out on plants that have only recently been transplanted. In this case, you need to darken them a little.

2. The stem is cracking. This usually appears during a period of intensive growth; it may also be associated with an increased level of soil acidity or a high concentration of nitrogen in it.

Annual phloxes can be damaged by certain insect pests:

• slobbering pennies;
• slugs;
• nematodes;
• black flea beetle;
• caterpillars.

Annual phloxes can suffer from the following viral diseases:

• leaf curl;
• ring spot;
• necrotic spotting;
• threadlike leaves;
• variegation.

It is possible to cope with fungal diseases to which phloxes are susceptible:

• white spotting;
• verticillium wilt;
• powdery mildew;
• rust;
• fomoz.

They are called high humidity soil and low temperatures air. They will help save plants from them special means with fungicidal properties. For example, you can use Bordeaux mixture, Fundazol. The treatment will have to be repeated in a week. In more advanced cases, plants are destroyed so that the fungal infection does not spread to other plantings.

On any site country house annual phloxes can be seen. This is a plant of the Blue family and there are more than 60 species. Plants attract with their variety of colors, their beauty and wonderful aroma. Growing annual phlox is not difficult, the main thing is to regularly care for the plant.

Annual phloxes: varieties

Phlox Drummond is the only annual species of phlox that has several varieties. The most common are:

1. Phlox "Star Rain". The flowers are shaped like stars. They can be one-color or two-color.
2. Phlox "Shimmering Star". The plant is low-growing, up to 25 cm high. Phlox flowers are large with pointed petals at the end.
3. Phlox "Chanel". The bush is compact and covered with double flowers of yellow-red color.
4. Phlox Promise Pink. The flowers are large and double, pink in color with a pleasant aroma. It has abundant and long-lasting flowering.

This plant will make flower beds and lawns of any suburban area more attractive.

Methods and timing of cultivation

Phlox propagation can be done in one of two ways: seeds and cuttings. From mid-May to June, cuttings are carried out. To do this, cut off a cutting with two or three leaves and plant it in open ground. In a month, the plant will form a root system and by autumn it will bloom. Cultivation by sowing seeds is carried out in March or April.

During this period, seeds are sown for seedlings. After the shoots appear, plant them individually and place them on the windowsill. It is important to avoid direct sun rays. To do this, cover the plantings with any covering material. If you sow seeds in open ground, it is recommended to do this in May. During this period, the earth is already well warmed up.

It should be remembered that phlox grown from seedlings bloom all summer, and seeds sown in the ground bloom only at the end of summer. You can sow seeds in the winter, in October or November. Phlox tolerate frost well, but it is recommended to insulate the planting site with dry leaves or grass.

Preparation and planting

If phlox is grown from seeds for seedlings, then the seed must be pre-soaked. You can use a specially prepared solution of potassium permanganate or soft water. Soak the seeds for a day, then take them out, dry them, put them on gauze and put them on the windowsill to warm up. Seeds should be sown every 3-4 cm, not buried in the ground, but sprinkled on top. Next, spray with a spray bottle and cover the container with glass. It is important not to forget to regularly water and ventilate the seedlings.

Seed germination depends on temperature and humidity. The temperature should be between 17-20 degrees, and high humidity should also be maintained. It is important not to forget about timely watering. Before planting phlox in open ground, it is necessary to prepare the soil. The soil must be fertile and moist.

It is undesirable to plant the plant on clay, acidic and damp soils. The soil needs to be fertilized. On square meter you should take about 7 kg of peat, 5 kg of compost, 300-400 g of ash.

Mix everything well and add a little sand, potassium sulfate and nitrophoska 30 g each to the mixture. Apply the prepared fertilizer to the soil and dig up the ground. After 2-3 weeks you can plant the plants. It is important to know that it is forbidden to apply manure under phlox, as the plant can be affected by various rots. It is recommended to sow seeds or plant seedlings in shaded areas. This way you can admire the flowering of phlox for a long time.

Sowing seeds into the soil is carried out to a depth of about 1-1.5 cm. In the spring, the seedlings will sprout, and it will be necessary to pick. Seedlings are planted at a distance of 18-20 cm. After a week, young plants should be fed with saltpeter. It is better to plant the plant in the evening or in cloudy weather. Low growing varieties planted at a distance of 40 cm from each other, plants of medium length - 50-55 cm, and tall plants - 60-70 cm. The depth of the hole is about 15-20 cm.

Place the seedling in the prepared hole and cover it with soil. In this case, the stems should be buried 3-5 cm. This is necessary in order to root collar I didn’t get sunburn, and the plant didn’t freeze in winter. After this, water and mulch.

Plant care

After planting, annual phloxes need to be watered every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. Watering should be moderate. You will need 2 buckets of water per square meter. During dry periods, water regularly in the morning and evening. In hot weather, you should not water the plant with cold water, as this can lead to cracking of the root system.

Phlox should be fed at least 3 times during the summer. Dry fertilizers are applied if the summer is rainy. If there is little precipitation, then apply liquid fertilizer. To prepare dry fertilizer, take a bucket of humus and 2 tablespoons of urea. Mix the ingredients and scatter them next to the plants.

If it is necessary to apply liquid fertilizer, then dilute 2 tablespoons of urea in 10 liters of water. These fertilizers are applied when the stems grow. With the appearance of buds, you can perform a second feeding. Dilute nitrophoska (60 g) in a 10-liter bucket. You can also add special fertilizers for flowering plants. The last feeding is done after the phloxes have bloomed.

Superphosphate and potassium sulfate are diluted in equal amounts of 30 g in a bucket of water. For dry feeding, take 8-10 kg of peat, 60-70 g of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer and the same amount of “Autumn” fertilizer. Proper preparation Fertilizers and optimal timing of application next year will ensure abundant and long-lasting flowering. When caring for phlox, you should not forget to mulch the soil, loosen and remove weeds.

Mulching should be carried out constantly to prevent drying out and ensure air permeability of the soil. You can use humus, compost, dry peat or leaves as mulch. Phloxes do not require care. If you follow all the recommendations, you can enjoy lush and bright flowering all summer long.