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General characteristics

Phloxes are perennial and annual herbaceous plants or dwarf shrubs, the origin of which is considered to be North America. From this continent, phloxes were brought to England in the first half of the 18th century, from where they later spread to other European countries.

The appearance of these flowering plants is unusually diverse. Some varieties form strong, tall shrubs with erect or ascending stems, while others form lush, pillow-like sods that creep along the ground.

The root system of phlox is superficial. The roots are thin, well branched, extending from the main rhizome. The flowers are usually funnel-shaped or tubular-funnel-shaped. The color of flowers can be monochromatic, two- or even three-colored, depending on the type and variety of the plant. Depending on the structural features of plants, it is customary to distinguish between several groups of phlox.

Tall and undersized bush. Bush includes tall and low-growing varieties of phlox with erect stems. Plant height can range from 20 to 150 centimeters. Many representatives of this group bloom from early summer to September. Inflorescences can be umbellate, panicle or corymbose.

Leaves are lanceolate, linear or ovate. The color palette of flowers includes milky white, lilac-lilac, pink-purple, burgundy-purple shades.

Flowering begins in spring and lasts until early or mid-summer. The color palette of flowers is presented in pale purple, lilac-purple, pale blue, purple-crimson and creamy white shades.

Planting and leaving

Phlox paniculata - perennial, herbaceous, plant 35-150 cm high. Stems are very strong, straight, by the end of the growing season, woody. Flowers of various colors, pure or mixed volumes, 2.5-5 cm in diameter, fragrant, collected in paniculate inflorescences of a developed structure and size. The culture is frost-resistant, so it does not require shelter for the winter. In culture since 1732.

Location: The phlox planting site should be open or slightly shaded. Do not tolerate hot areas.

Soil: the soil is prepared in advance: 2-3 weeks before planting, add 1 bucket of humus or compost, a half-liter can of ash and 60 g of complex mineral fertilizer per 1 sq. M. Fertilizers are scattered, the soil is dug to a depth of about 15 cm. On heavy soils, plants develop poorly and bloom poorly.

Planting: Phlox can be planted in spring and autumn. You should not delay the spring planting, the best time is mid-May. Autumn planting is best done from mid-August to mid-September, so that young bushes have time to take root before the onset of frost. Depending on the size of the bush, small planting holes are dug, approximately to the depth of a shovel bayonet (20-25 cm). Carefully spread the roots of the seedling in the hole and cover it with earth. The root collar should be buried 3-5 cm. After planting, the ground near the bush is squeezed with hands, the plants are abundantly watered and mulched from above with fertile soil.

Top dressing: in early spring, phloxes are fed with a solution of ammonium nitrate or urea at the rate of 20-30 g per adult bush with the addition of superphosphate and ash, in the second half of May and in mid-June - with a solution of nitrogen fertilizers only, and in July superphosphate is added to them again (15 -20 g per bush). After each feeding, the plants are watered abundantly with water.

Reproduction: phlox grows in one place for 5-6 years, in the future its flowers and leaves become smaller, and division and transplantation are necessary for rejuvenation of plants. Propagation of this culture by cuttings, root shoots, dividing the bushes.

Care: Phlox is a moisture-loving culture; in dry summers, they need frequent and abundant watering. Closer to autumn, some bushes stick out from the soil, their root system is bare, so each adult bush must be spud with a bucket of humus or nutrient mixture. Adding soil to the roots is also protection against freezing in harsh winters. In autumn, the stems with leaves must be cut off at soil level, and the remaining plants and the soil around them should be sprayed with 1-2% Bordeaux liquid.

Usage: Phloxes are good both on their own and in combination with other perennials: astilbe, tall bells, cornflowers, daylilies. They are planted in massifs, groups, on beds, flower beds, in mixborders.

Type of packaging: the root system is packed in peat, a label indicating the variety.

Description of the flower

Gardeners involved in planting flowers are interested in the description of phlox Ural tales. It is a perennial plant that is resistant to winter frost and does not require special care. Because of this, it is widely distributed in gardens and flower beds. Garden phloxes have bare and smooth stems. They are rarely covered with light down.

The height of this paniculate phlox is from 40 cm to 1.5 m.Taller specimens are less common. The leaves are opposite. Their shape as well as their size are different. In spring, the color of the leaf plate can acquire a wide variety of colors: light green, lilac, purple, cherry, brown, brown. As the shoot grows back, the shade of the leaf turns green.

Phlox Ural Tales

Phlox flower is five-petal. The color can vary from white to black-violet and dark cherry. Sometimes the color of the petal contains haze, multi-colored strokes, spots and other shapes. The size of the corolla of this flower is varied and ranges from 0.5 to 5.5 cm; there are also larger specimens.

Flowers are concentrated in inflorescences - panicles. In a garden phlox, they can have all sorts of characteristics.

Duration of flowering is 45 days or more. Flowers exude a pleasant aroma all the time. Bloom in July-August.

The root of the plant is very powerful, about 25 cm deep.

Interesting! A distinctive feature of plants is their winter hardiness. They are not afraid of frost and grow back immediately after the snow melts.

Flowers do not fade in the sun. They are also resistant to low temperature background. They grow quickly enough, which allows you to create beautiful and unique compositions.

Problems and solutions

Reverse immediately break out old phlox bushes shedding lower leaves Left: ‘Twister’ phlox. On the right: phlox ‘Bud, part of the stems is cracked; acidic soil of nitrogen fertilizing;

Right: infestation by a nematode began to turn yellow and dry the lower leaves

• Modern means of combating phlox diseases
• Down with phlox pests!
• Fighting diseases and pests of phlox: how to do without chemistry

Care

Growing paniculate varieties comes down to the following steps.

Watering and loosening

Timely hydration is an important moment in the life of a plant. Lack of moisture will negatively affect the health of foliage and flowers. The procedure should be performed clearly under the root and avoid getting drops on the aerial part, otherwise it will provoke the appearance of burns and the development of fungus. In hot weather, flowers are watered once a week, 1 bucket of water is enough for 1 m2

It is important that the ground is moistened by at least 20-30 cm.It is recommended to use warm water for irrigation

So that the flowerbed is not covered with a crust, after watering it should be loosened and mulched, in addition, this manipulation will avoid stagnation of moisture on the soil surface.

Top dressing

The beginning of the growing season usually falls on April-June, during this period the plant needs fertilization, for example, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urea are suitable. In July - August, in the very middle of the growing season, you can use mixtures containing potassium and phosphorus, mullein, chicken droppings, Kemira Universal as additional nutrition. At the end of August - mid-September, preparations are made for the end of the growing season, and now phloxes can be fed with a mixture of water, superphosphate and ash in proportions of 10 l: 20 g: 1 tbsp. respectively. Apply top dressing only at the end of the day and do not overdo it with a portion - an excess of nutrients is harmful, as is their deficiency. If the fertilizer is in a dry form, then it is applied shortly before the expected rain.

Pruning

The haircut is carried out in the fall in preparation for winter. Depending on the region where the variety is grown, this is usually done in late September or October. Sometimes gardeners also carry out spring pruning of phlox, but these measures usually pursue a decorative purpose - 3 new branches can form at the site of the cut shoot. There are 2 pruning technologies. The first (full) is a cut almost at the root, and the second (partial) provides for the presence of a tip about 10-12 cm long. After the procedure, the culture should be treated with fungicides, and the cut parts should be destroyed.

Preparing for winter

Phloxes do not need special protection measures, because this variety is highly winter-hardy

It is only important to carry out the above-described cropping. Some growers dig up bushes for the winter and store them in cellars, but this method of protection is quite laborious.

To help the plant survive the winter easier, it is enough to cover it with a thick layer of a mixture of earth, manure and humus.

Attractive, smoky charm of swirling phlox petals Uralskie Tales.

Phlox Uralskie Tales is an unforgettable handsome man! This is a rather old and well-known variety, of domestic selection, bred by P.G. Gaganov in 1953. The variety is so interesting that foreign breeders simply impudently borrowed it and now sell it under the name Ferris Wheel, and they supply it back to us.

Among phlox growers, there are endless discussions about the identity of these varieties. There are suggestions that the variety was simply stolen. I bought both and I can say that it is almost impossible to tell the difference between them. The only difference is in height. Phlox Uralskie Tales is noticeably taller than its foreign counterpart and has a more powerful bush, otherwise they are indistinguishable.

The winter hardiness of phlox Uralskie Skazy is excellent. In spring, sprouts hatch at one of the first. But Ferris Wheel this year, wintered very badly, then somehow decayed and died. There are only photos left. I will write about it separately.

The Uralskie Skazy variety looks very attractive. Refers to varieties of medium flowering time. Blooms in late July and blooms for a very long time. The annotation to the variety contains information that flowering lasts until September 20, but according to my observations, it blooms much longer. Last year and in October it was still in flowers, although the panicles were no longer lush.

The variety is distinguished by increased resistance to powdery mildew and black spot, but this does not mean that it does not suffer from these diseases at all. I didn’t have time to process phloxes this year and my bush Uralskie Skazy suffered slightly from powdery mildew. The lower leaves began to be covered with a recognizable bloom. But this happened due to the fact that different varieties grow quite close to me, and I neglected preventive treatment.

I have already told about my care for phlox:

Care mainly consists of eliminating weeds, watering and feeding. I feed phlox in moderation.In the spring with organic fertilizers and ash, in the summer, watering with humus or adding a humic mixture, and after flowering with superphosphate with ash. I cut it short for the winter. The variety is winter-hardy, so it does not need any shelter. The bush is still young, it has been growing for me only for the third year. But it is already clear that in the future it will be powerful and beautiful. The bush is not sprawling, compact, erect. No garter required. At the moment, this grade is the highest. His height is about a meter.

The leaves are large, dark green, dense and beautiful. Inflorescences are moderately dense, loose, spherical.

The most interesting thing is, of course, the color and shape of the flowers. Flowers in inflorescences are large, with curved petals. The color is very complex and it was not easy to convey it in the photo, so I will add a description. Along the dark pink field of the petal, streaks of grayish haze spreading from the bright carmine central eye and not reaching the edge. The color does not fade in the sun and looks amazingly interesting.

Such a slightly "smoky" color, curled edges and a bright eye in the center, give this phlox some kind of mystical appeal. It is this attractiveness that is in Bazhov's tales, enveloping in a haze of mystery, as if woven from a fog spreading around a leisurely narrative.

I like to admire this phlox, look at the curves of the petals and color transitions, inhale the aroma and look at the unusual inflorescences slowly swaying to the beat of the wind.

Conclusion: Excellent variety! I recommend!

Phlox paniculata: Ural Tales, Success, Utopia, Foggy morning, Favorite, Fireworks

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Planting phlox in open ground

Phlox grow well in one place up to 8–20 years. Such longevity relieves the gardener from worries. But the plants weaken over time, the curtain growing on the periphery becomes bare in the middle.

This can be done in spring, summer, or closer to autumn. True, if plants get a new place of residence at a later date, they will not have time to take root and will not overwinter.

This is important to consider when planting phloxes in open ground in the Urals, in Siberia and other regionswhere sudden frosts and early arrival of cold weather are possible

Division and transfer rules:

1. The phlox intended for dividing is dug out, trying not to damage the numerous rhizomes up to 15-25 cm long.
2. Shoots are cut at a height of 10-15 m from the soil level.
3. Then, with a sharp knife, the bush is divided into parts so that each has at least 2–5 healthy growth points.
4. The sections are treated with coal powder, after which the cuttings are planted in the place intended for them.

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To speed up the engraftment of plants and simplify care in the open field, the soil is prepared in advance before planting phlox. The site is dug up on a full bayonet, weeds are selected, mineral fertilizers are applied.

Planting pits for perennial phloxes are made in the fall, if the plants fall into the ground in the spring. For summer and autumn plantings, the soil is ennobled at least 2-4 weeks before transplanting. Fresh organic matter can burn the roots, therefore, only well-rotted compost and manure are used as fertilizers. When the pits are filled, the soil is moistened and fresh cuttings are planted. The growth points of phlox after planting in the ground should be at a depth of 2-3 cm. The soil is carefully compacted, watered again and mulched thickly.

They act in a similar way when green cuttings are used for planting, when in May or early June shoots 15 cm long appear on phloxes. The stems are cut so that a couple of buds remain on the mother plant. The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, the upper one is cut in half. Then the planting material is immersed in water for 40-60 minutes.

After that, phloxes can be planted in a greenhouse or directly into open ground. The cuttings are buried a couple of centimeters. Within 1–2 weeks, roots appear on new plants, and phloxes, ready for planting and care in the open field, are transferred to a permanent place.

DISEASES AND PESTS

The main scourge of phlox is powdery mildew. First, a white bloom appears on the lower leaves, then on the upper, younger ones. The diseased leaves gradually dry out. The bushes suffer especially strongly during a thickened planting, when there is no ventilation, therefore, it must be borne in mind that phlox bushes grow strongly, and plant them at a distance of 70-80 cm from each other. Sick plants are treated with a copper-soap solution once every 10 days (25 g of copper sulfate and 100 g of laundry soap per bucket of water).Can be treated with a 0.5% solution of Bordeaux liquid or another approved copper-containing preparation. To prevent early spring, when phloxes are just beginning to grow, it is advisable to dust the plants with colloidal sulfur. Colloidal sulfur powder is poured into a gauze bag and carefully, through gauze, each growing stem is powdered. After 10 days, when the plants reach a height of 15-20 cm, re-dusting is carried out. Phloxes are also affected by phimosis, verticillium wilting, curliness, stem and northern rootworm nematodes.