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| Pierre with phlox (photo by Jeanne Grunert) |
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| Phlox subulata (photo by Jeanne) |
Creeping phlox or Phlox subulata is one of my favorite garden plants. It’s a hardy low-growing perennial that loves rock gardens, slopes, and most soils. Makes you want to run out and hug it, doesn’t it? It does for me, since that is what I deal with here is my zone 7 garden on a regular basis.
Creeping phlox is hardy for gardening zones 3 to 9. If you’re not sure what gardening zone you live in, the National Gardening Association offers a zip-code basis look up that’s easy to use and will help you understand gardening zones.
Plant creeping phlox in full sun areas, making sure that the soil is well-drained. If phlox is happy in the location, it spreads and seeds prolifically. I have creeping phlox growing in the garden pathways and even among the gravel in the driveway. As long as it gets full sunshine and plenty of water, it stays happy.
You can trim creeping phlox to help it maintain its shape after it completes its bloom in the spring time. Dividing it is also easy. I’ve used a clean, sharp spade and simply sliced off a portion of the central plant, replanting both the main plant and the division. Water well after dividing and until the plants re-establish themselves in the garden.
Creeping phlox is available in myriad colors. I have lavender and pink in the garden, but there are also white and a very dark pink-red that is quite appealing. I love the carpet of color in the spring. Butterflies love it too, and it attracts butterflies and bees in the springtime when few other plants are blooming.
While creeping phlox remains a low-growing plant, attaining at most a few inches in height, it really does spread out quite a bit, so leave plenty of room for the plants. If you do want to trim it, wait until after it blooms. Pruning creeping phlox tends to help it produce more flowers the following spring, so you’ll be even more delighted!
The first picture today shows my front walkway. Pierre was marching along looking disgruntled as usual, so I snapped a few photos. Our creeping phlox planted on the hillside over the perennial garden prevents erosion of the soil on the slope, and those in front of the house shown here fill in nicely between the shrubs.
Each year we find more volunteers, those baby plants that seem to magically spring up from seeds blown by the wind, so I’m assuming phlox is easy to grow from seed. I’ve included links to both plants and seeds, below. We purchased our plants from two different ‘big box’ home and garden stores and from a catalog. One hint: you can invest in the smallest size plants to save money. If they like your garden area, they will grow quickly, that’s for sure!
Purchase phlox plants:
Purchase phlox seeds:
Hi Jeanne
I have a phlox garden that goes around my tree. It is doing very well since I have only had them for a couple of years. Only problem is they do great and spread ready good on the side that has the evening sun but on the morning sun side they are not doing very good.
I would like to take and put down some decorative white rock on the side they are not spreading out on but just in case in years to come they want to start spreading out on the morning sun side would they be able to spread out over these rocks and still be able to grow?
I love them too much to stop them from growing especially the deep Scarlett color ones!
If I can I would love to be able to put the rocks down and then plant some more phlox in among the rock.
Hi Jeanne
I have a phlox garden that goes around my tree. It is doing very well since I have only had them for a couple of years. Only problem is they do great and spread ready good on the side that has the evening sun but on the morning sun side they are not doing very good.
I would like to take and put down some decorative white rock on the side they are not spreading out on but just in case in years to come they want to start spreading out on the morning sun side would they be able to spread out over these rocks and still be able to grow?
I love them too much to stop them from growing especially the deep Scarlett color ones!
If I can I would love to be able to put the rocks down and then plant some more phlox in among the rock.
Thanks for any help you can give me!
Hi Judy, your garden sounds lovely! You should be fine with some decorative rocks and the phlox. Many people plant phlox in a rock garden. Ours grow like weeds, often spilling over rock edging into the walkways. In fact, I have some that are ni fact growing IN the walkways. If I think of it later today I’ll snap a picture of them to show you. The ones growing among the decorative rocks in my garden paths did so on their own, so I really do think you will be fine with your idea. Share a picture when it’s done! 🙂
So you are saying if I take and spread the white rock out over the whole spot the phlox will spread out over them and I can also take and plant more phlox within and around the rocks and they also will spread?
I am very new to gardening and like to learn as much as I can. If there was a way I would send you a picture of what I do having growing so far but I do not know how.
Thanks again for your quick response!
I would plant the phlox first, then spread the rock around it. Good luck!