Growing phlox in the garden.

In order for your garden site to have a special and unique appearance, it should be decorated with flowers that can grow in a small garden, flowerbeds or arranged beds.

Therefore, many gardeners grow on their sites a variety of flowers: colorful and colorful asters, peonies, dahlias, chamomiles, chrysanthemums and, of course, phlox.

Growing phloxes attracts many gardeners. And this is understandable, since these flowers do not require special care, they have a long flowering period, and their varied colors can have the most incredible shades.

Phloxes. General description.

The genus of these wonderful flowers belongs to the Sinyukhov family, which is represented by 51 species of annual and perennial plants. The native land of phlox is North America. The unusual name of the flower, translated from Greek, means the word "flame". This name phlox was given by the famous scientist Carl Linnaeus, because of the fiery red color that is present in wild phlox.

Growing phlox is so popular that to date, more than 1501 varieties of these fragrant and adorable flowers have been bred. Phloxes are represented by upright and bush species, which reach a height of 35 to 185 centimeters.

Depending on the season, the flowering period of phlox is spring, summer, and summer-autumn. Therefore, phlox bush can be of different sizes, and with different flowering periods. Thanks to these colors, you can create on your garden plot the most beautiful compositions that will please you both in the spring and in the autumn.

Planting of phlox and their cultivation

In order for phlox cultivation to be most successful for you, they should be planted in a semi-shaded and light place, which is protected from the wind. The soil for these flowers should be loose, fertile and sufficiently moistened.

For the spring planting of phlox, the soil should be prepared in autumn. To do this, excavate the pit in depth of 30 centimeters, then add superphosphate, compost and wood ash to the ground. If the soil has increased acidity, then a lot of lime should be put in the planting pit. For clay soil, be sure to add sand and organic fertilizer, such as peat or manure.

Most phlox species are hygrophilous plants, however, in a wetland or a site where there is groundwater, phloem reproduction is not possible.

Phloxes. Reproduction of flowers.

Phloxes are transplanted and multiply in many ways. In the next section, we describe the most popular ones.

Transplanting these colors is best done every 5-6 years. But if the soil of flowers contains nutrients in sufficient quantity, then they can grow up to 10 years in one place.

The best time for transplantation is the middle of April and the beginning of May. Autumn planting should be completed in mid-August. To accelerate the growth of flowers, it is necessary to cut off their aerial part beforehand so that the height of the stems does not exceed 25 centimeters. After planting, plants should ensure sufficient watering.

The next way to reproduce phlox is vegetative. Here there is a division of bushes, stem cuttings, and so on. This method allows you to preserve varietal color differences, which can not be achieved if you perform seed multiplication. Division of bushes is carried out in the beginning of spring and in the autumn after the termination of growth of a flower. Reproduction of flowers by cuttings can be made in late May or early June.

Care of phloxes

Care of flowers includes loosening and weeding of the soil from weeds, which must be carried out 6 times during the flowering period of the plant. In addition, phloxes need to be fed with complex organic and mineral fertilizers. The first feeding is done in mid-May, and the second in early June. In July, you can feed plants with fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen.

Remember that properly growing phlox and caring for plants during their growth can save them from many diseases and harmful insects. As a result of proper cultivation and careful care, phloxes will become a real decoration of your garden and will give you many pleasant and positive emotions.