Types and varieties
There are many varieties of phlox, which differ in size, shape and color shade. You can grow ground cover or bush species, among which there are varieties with white or variegated flowers. The following are the most popular and common types of phlox.
Drummond
A colorful annual plant. It has a number of advantages:
- The petals do not fade in the sun.
- Withstands frosts down to -5 ° C.
- Not afraid of drought.
- Represented by a variety of varieties.
- Unpretentious care.
- It independently settles on the site.
Drummond is a bush that grows no more than 50 cm in height. It is very lush and branched. Blooms all summer.
Popular varieties:
- Beauty - flowers of different colors create a special atmosphere of romance in the garden.
- Chanel - blooms with lush double buds of a pale pink color.
- Star rain - flowers with sharp petal tips, reminiscent of stars. It comes in different shades.
Subulate
A miniature bush with pointed and stiff leaves, small buds up to 2 cm in diameter. The edges of the petals are notched. It blooms twice a season (May-June, August-September).
It is very often used in any kind of flower beds. The variety is frost resistant. It is better to propagate it by pinching or dividing the bush. This type of phlox can be cut to shape.
Popular varieties:
- Bavaria - unusual bicolor flowers. The petals are white, purple rays radiate from the center along them.
- Wilson - flowers of a lilac shade, looks beautiful in combination with May blooming crops.
- White Delight - looks good along curbs, produces white flowers.
Paniculate
A perennial plant with fragrant flowers. It is considered one of the most popular types of phlox. It has a powerful root system, the stem grows up to 1.5 m. It is distinguished by a luxurious inflorescence, exuding a honey aroma. Flowers can be of a wide variety of shades, except for yellow.
Popular varieties:
- Cosmopolitan is a tall, lush plant with bright pink flowers.
- Green Lady - decorative sharp buds that do not bloom.
- Graf Zeppelin - flowers of a pale pink hue, purple in the center.
Spread (Phlox divaricata)
A perennial plant that is unpretentious to care for, which grows no more than 40 cm in height. The inflorescences exude a very delicate heady aroma.
Suitable for growing in shaded areas and under trees. It mainly blooms in lilac and blue shades.
Pests and diseases of tomatoes
The most common diseases of tomatoes are late blight (common and southern), from which tomatoes dry, spots (brown, brown, black and white), rot (white, stem, gray and apical), mosaic, from which tomatoes crumble, verticillosis, tracheomycosis, streak and bacterial cancer. We will tell you about the symptoms of diseases, how to deal with these diseases, how to process tomatoes in order to save the harvest, what processing methods can be used to save tomatoes from diseases, and which ones are undesirable to use, we will tell you in a separate article. Now we want to remind you that if you follow the agricultural practices of culture, you can almost certainly avoid its infection with all these diseases.
Diseases of tomatoes and how to treat them, as well as prevention
Of the tomato pests, most often it is necessary to deal with scoops, thrips, wireworms, sprout flies, slugs, bears and gall nematodes. You can read more about pest control in the article, which is devoted to this particular topic.Let's just say that in any case, it is preferable to use natural, time-tested folk remedies to get rid of pests - decoctions, herbal infusions with insecticidal, fungicidal and antifeeding effects.
Description of the plant, its varieties and varieties
Phlox exists in nature mainly as a perennial plant, but there are also annual varieties. Flowers differ from each other in different ways, for example, in shape. Meet:
- cylindrical (Alexander, Hug, etc.);
- round (Babyface, Magic);
Babyface variety
- conical (Silver Age, Blue Paradise);
- pulus-shaped (Gaganov's favorite);
- umbrella-shaped (Seraphima, Apple blossom);
- pyramidal (Vrubel, Snow White).
Snow White variety
Phlox is also divided by flowering time. A gardener can create a continuously blooming flower bed on his site. Having planted plants of different varieties on it:
- early phlox - bloom at the end of May, flowering continues until mid-July (Moskvichka, Thunderstorm, Arctic, etc.);
- medium phlox - flowering lasts from early July to late August (Africa, Aurora, Novinka, etc.);
- late phloxes - begin to bloom in August and end only after the first frost (Viking, Winter Merchen, Kirmensendler).
Variety Africa
The main difference between varieties of paniculate phlox is the color of the plant. The easiest way to sort them is by this principle.
White:
- Snow White - white flowers with a slight smoky pink tint, pink corolla tube;
- Europe - white flowers with a carmine eye;
- Knight - the flowers have a bluish tint, the petals are distinguished by a light wave along the edge.
Variety Europe
Pink:
- Selena - a dark pink shade with a silvery smoky tint, a white star-shaped eye;
- Miss Pepper - the flowers have a light pink tone and a bright crimson ring.
Miss Pepper variety
Red:
- Starfire - dark rich red is emphasized by the velvety structure of the petals;
- Tenor - a red flower with a crimson tint;
- Seraphim - has fiery red petals.
Variety Tenor
Purple:
- Chernomor - blue-violet color of petals, lightening towards the center, a dark eye in the evening changes its color from violet to blue;
- Cinderella is a beautiful light lilac shade with a crimson heart;
- Paradise blue - purple buds change color to bright blue at dusk.
Blue Paradise variety
In addition to the main colors, phloxes can be orange, salmon, blue, blue, purple, crimson. The range of shades of the buds of this plant has no boundaries. And a selection of photos proves this once again.
Perennial phlox - planting and care
Planting phlox
Growing perennial phlox is not much different from growing annuals, but there are still some features. For example: the spring planting of perennial varieties is carried out in the same way as for annuals, but after that the site must be mulched with dry peat or humus. In addition, the distance between plants should not be 15-20 cm, but at least half a meter, because phloxes will grow in this area for many years, and they need a place where they will grow.
If you bought phlox in the fall, then do not plant them, but dig in to a depth of 20-25 cm in a place protected from the wind, where snow lingers in winter. As soon as the soil is frozen, cover the buried phlox with peat or dry leaves.
In the photo: White phlox in the open field
In addition, planting of perennial phlox in some cases is carried out in the fall. For example, in the case when the bush has grown greatly and has lost its decorative effect, it is dug up in the fall (from mid-August to the first ten days of September), the rhizome is divided, the middle of the bush is removed, which ages earlier than other parts, and the side parts are seated. Also, in the fall, grown phloxes of spring cuttings should be planted in a permanent place. Before autumn planting, compost is added to the soil; if the soil is clayey, then there is also sand, and if it is sandy, then peat.Delenki are placed in holes located at a distance of half a meter from each other, their roots are spread horizontally and shallowly added (no deeper than 4-5 cm). If there is no rain, the planted phlox is watered abundantly at the rate of 2 liters of water per bush every 2-3 days for two weeks, the dried soil is loosened and mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 4 cm.
Phlox care
It is necessary to care for perennial phloxes, as well as for annuals. But if annuals need to be fertilized four times during the growth period, then perennial species are fertilized five times - the last one occurs during the period when seeds are formed in capsules. Feed the phlox with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers (10 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of superphosphate per bucket of water). Do this in the evening after watering, being careful not to get the solution on the leaves.
With proper care and good feeding, phloxes grow in one place, without losing their decorative effect, up to seven years.
In the photo: The inflorescence of garden phlox that has not yet opened
Perennial phlox is one of the rare crops that can be cut during the entire growing season. You can start from the moment when the shoot reaches 5 cm, the last cuttings are removed at the end of September. It is worth remembering, however, that spring and summer rooting are more successful than later ones.
Professional recommendations for growing chisel - do you know such a plant?
In addition to grafting, phlox propagates by layering, and this method is much less laborious than grafting. Before flowering, the stem is bent to the ground, fixed along its entire length and spud with humus and peat. In the fall, a new plant is formed from this shoot, which is separated from the main bush and transplanted to where it will grow constantly.
Step-by-step instructions for planting an annual phlox for seedlings
To properly plant Drummond phlox on seedlings, you need to know the basic schemes, little tricks and sowing stages. We present to your attention a master class that describes all the main steps of planting:
Choice of capacity
There are no strict preferences on this issue. You can plant seeds of annual phlox seedlings in almost any container - both general (wooden or plastic box, any bowls) and single (peat tablets, pots, plastic cassettes, cups, etc.). The main thing is that the height of the container is at least 6-7 centimeters.
Selection and preparation of seeds
For sowing seedlings at home, you must choose high-quality seeds. It is better to do this in trusted stores and from a reliable manufacturer. The quality of future plants largely depends on the quality of the planting material.
You can plant seeds right away without preparation. Or you can carry out pre-sowing treatment, for example, soak them in a solution of a growth stimulant drug, for example, "Zircon", "Energen", "Epin-Extra". You need to act according to the instructions on the package.
By the way, as you can see in the photo, the seeds of this flower culture are of normal size, so it is convenient to process and sow them.
Soil preparation
To grow Drummond's annual phlox from seeds at home, it is recommended to use light, loose, air-permeable and permeable soil.
Can be planted in a multipurpose flower pot that is sold at almost any major store or garden center.
To plant phlox on seedlings, you can prepare the ground with your own hands, for this, mix the following ingredients:
- peat (1 part);
- humus (part 1);
- sand (1 part);
- perlite (0.5 parts).
Direct sowing
When you have prepared everything you need - planting material, capacity, soil, waited for the right time, then you should start the procedure. Below you will find step-by-step instructions with photos for sowing annual phlox for seedlings:
1) Place the drain on the bottom of the container.
Of course, you can do without it, however, waterlogging, soil acidification, and, as a result, root decay will definitely not happen with it.Broken brick, perlite, expanded clay (shown in the photo) are suitable as a drainage material.
2) Fill the container with prepared soil.
Spread it evenly to avoid creating voids. It is recommended to leave a small distance between the surface of the potting mix and the edges of the container, 2-3 centimeters will be enough. This is necessary to create a greenhouse effect and so that the first shoots do not run into the covering material.
3) Moisten the soil.
It is most convenient to water from a spray bottle (although you can do this from a syringe, but only carefully)
You can only use clean water, it should be a little warm and settled, in no case from the tap.
3) Now we turn to the direct planting of phlox seeds.
Spread the flower seeds evenly over the soil surface. The optimum distance between seeds is 2-3 centimeters.
You can sow with your fingers,
and with tweezers:
5) Lightly compact the soil after sowing.
Gently and very lightly press the seeds to the ground using your hand or a spoon.
6) Water after planting.
As in the case of moistening the soil before the procedure, it is necessary to use exclusively settled, clean water at room temperature.
You need to water from a spray bottle.
7) Create greenhouse conditions for germination of seedlings.
To create a mini greenhouse, you just need to cover the container with a lid, glass or film. Since Drummond phlox seeds germinate only in the light, the covering material should be transparent!
Transfer to a bright and warm place with a temperature of 23-25 degrees Celsius.
Growing perennial phlox from seeds at home. Correct planting, reproduction and care of perennial phlox
that can grow for decades. And it's easy to grow them. But as we understand it is not difficult, only if you follow certain rules for sowing, leaving, reproduction of phlox.
Phlox perennial ALCHEMIK Photo by Anna Kalugina
Seat selection
well lit place
Avoid planting perennial phlox next to large shrubs and trees with a shallow root system. They will prevent phlox from developing and blooming well.
To get a beautiful flowerbed with phlox, we plant varieties of different heights. This way they won't shade the friend.
Soil requirements
fertile, loose soil
On sandy and clayey soil, beautiful phlox will never grow. In sandy soil we add compost and low-lying peat.
Add compost and sand to the clay soil.
Landing
- Landing at a depth of 30 cm
- Pour 2 tbsp into the bottom of the hole. spoons of complex flower fertilizer.
- Sprinkle the fertilizer with earth.
- We remove all peduncles, leaving the stems with leaves.
- Water and sprinkle with earth.
Rejuvenation
When is it necessary to rejuvenate the bush? It all depends on the variety.
Cultivars growing in dense bunches age faster.
Varieties with sprawling rhizomes age more slowly.
If the bush has stopped producing identical, strong shoots and sticks out of the ground, it should be rejuvenated.
Ways to rejuvenate perennial phlox:
Dividing the bush
The best time to divide the bush is spring.
As a rule, rejuvenation by dividing the bush is carried out every 5-6 years.
Dividing the bush
Phlox are divided in early spring, when sprouts emerged from the ground or in autumn.
Dig up the bush. Divide into pieces with a knife. A standard cut consists of 2-3 stems.
Cuttings
- Cuttings are carried out before flowering or after the first wave of phlox flowering in gardens.
- Choose a branch for cuttings that is NOT lignified.
- Divide the twig into parts. Each part should have at least 2 knots.
- Bottom cut below the bottom knot. The upper cut is 1-2 cm higher than the second knot.
- We remove the lower leaves without affecting the buds, from which we will develop roots and new buds.
- Cut the upper leaves by half.
Rooting cuttings
Without soil
The easiest way to root a cutting.
We put the handle in a container with water and wait for the roots to appear. After the roots appear, we transplant the cutting into the soil.
Into the ground
We prepare cups with drainage holes and soil.
Mix the soil for the cuttings with perlite. It should be light, nutritious.
Powder the prepared cuttings with root root and dip them to the first leaves in prepared cups with well-spilled soil.
We cover the cups to make a mini-plate. We put the cups with cuttings in a shaded place.
After the roots appear, we transplant the phlox into open ground to a permanent place.
If several cuttings were planted in the pot, carefully separate the cuttings and plant them in open ground at a distance of 15 cm from each other.
After transplanting, the seedlings are well spilled with water with root, epin, potassium permanganate and phytosporin.
Main types and varieties
Annual phlox
Phlox Drummond
The best annual phlox to grow in the garden is Drummonda. The Englishman G. Drummond, who was a naturalist, traveler and theologian, brought him to England from Texas in 1835. In England, this flower has taken root. Flowering of such a plant begins in June and ends with the onset of the first frost. Opposite leaves have a lanceolate-oval shape. The thin stem is rather branched, and it reaches a height of 20-30 centimeters. The color of fragrant flowers is dark red, yellow, purple, white and salmon.
Plants of this species are divided into 2 varieties, namely: large-flowered and star-shaped. In height, Drummond's phlox star (Phlox drummondii cuspidata), as a rule, reaches 30-40 centimeters, but there are also more compact plants (up to 12 centimeters). The split petals give the bright flower a star-like appearance with a peephole in the center. Drummond's phlox (Phlox drummondii mixed) - its height, as a rule, does not exceed 30 centimeters. Its flowers are quite large in size and can be painted in various color shades. But plants with red flowers are more impressive.
Florists also divide these plants in size into dwarf ones, which reach a height of 15 to 20 centimeters, as well as large-flowered ones. The large-flowered cultivars are High Fire Red, High White and High Bright Red. Dwarf phlox varieties: Shamoa (pink), Salmona (salmon), Snow Globe (white), Isabella (yellow) and Defiance (fiery red). All varieties of this type of phlox have both semi-double and double varieties. The most popular are terry flowers of the Promis variety of various colors.
Perennial phlox
Phlox subulate
The earliest of the perennial phlox species is subulate, its flowering begins in May. The plant itself is highly branching and blooming profusely. During flowering, the bush is completely covered with flowers, which can be of various shades from dark red to pure white. The leaves are narrow, awl-shaped, which influenced the name of the variety. Such a plant is suitable for decorating alpine slides, as well as rockeries.
Splayed phlox
The flowering of the splayed phlox also begins in May, but 7–14 days later than the styloid phlox. Compact bushes are decorated with small bluish-lilac flowers. This species loves light less than the previous one, and also has less dense, but larger foliage and woody shoots.
The flowering of phlox paniculata occurs in the middle of the summer period. This type is very popular among gardeners. It has spectacular green leaves and fairly large inflorescences, consisting of many fragrant beautiful flowers.
Phlox paniculata
Panicled phlox - thanks to this species, a large number of very interesting varieties were born.So, among them, the terry phlox Pure Feelings stands out, in which rather large inflorescences consist from white flowers, in the center there is a strip of green color, and in the lower part there are purple flowers. Elongated petals are slightly curled. The bush can reach a height of 70 to 80 centimeters. Natural Feelings terry phlox deserves special attention. Inflorescences similar to flowering branches of lilacs consist of small greenish-white-pink flowers. Also, thanks to breeders, frost-resistant varieties appeared, for example, Phlox Orange (Orange Perfection, Orange Spat), the flowers of which are painted in various shades of red-orange, which do not fade under the influence of sunlight. They are undemanding, multiply easily and have a spectacular appearance. The most popular of the varieties is the Phlox King. The bush can reach 100 centimeters in height, the flowers of such a plant are quite large (about 4 centimeters in diameter) and can be colored pink, white, crimson, lilac, as well as other color shades.
