Phlox ∗ The 10 best care and planting tips (Flame Flower)

Planting and caring for phlox in the garden

Planting phlox properly

The flame flower has the potential to cover the summer garden with a fragrant sea of flowers for more than 10 years. With the professional planting you lay the foundation for this respectable show of strength. How to do it right:

Soak the potted flower with water until no more air bubbles rise
Weeding the bedding soil meticulously and raking it deeply
Create small pits at an airy distance of 50-80 cm in order to optimize the excavation with compost
Now pot the flame flower and plant it exactly as deep as before in the seed pot

also read

Phlox is not just phlox - the different varieties
How to Plant Your Phlox Properly - Top Tips
How to properly care for your phlox - the most important tips

After you have watered the flower extensively, a nutritious layer of mulch promotes growth and flowering. In the pot and balcony box, insert a drainage made of potsherds or pebbles between the potting soil and the water outlet so that waterlogging cannot build up.

Care tips

Tend and care for a flame flower, thanks to your attention, with a long flowering time of up to 8 weeks and abundant re-flowering in pre-summer species. The following brief overview shows what the opulent flower is really important:

Keep the substrate constantly slightly moist without causing waterlogging
When the shoot starts, fertilize organically every 2 weeks until the end of the flowering period
Cut early flowering varieties close to the ground after the main flowering for a second flowering
Cut off wilted flower panicles to prevent seed formation
Complete pruning of the leaves only in early spring

When winter is approaching, wrap planters in bubble wrap and place them on a block of wood in front of the south wall of the house. If the bed is in a winter-gray region, we recommend protection in the form of leaves, straw or fir fronds, regardless of the hardiness of phlox.

Which location is suitable?

The flower is generally characterized by a moderate character. This orientation is particularly evident in the choice of the ideal location. This is how the flame flower unfolds its beauty to perfection in shady to partially shaded locations without blazing sun. It prefers to spread its roots in slightly moist and nutrient-rich soil, as long as the soil is loose and well-drained.

The correct planting distance

The flame flower demands enough space to spread unhindered over the years. Choose a planting distance of 50 to 80 cm for the raised summer phlox and do not arrange more than 3 to 5 specimens per square meter. For more delicate species, such as forest phlox, meadow phlox or cushion phlox, adjust the distance to approx. 25 to 30 cm according to the height of growth.

What soil does the plant need?

One of the reasons for the popularity of the flame flower is that it thrives in any good garden soil. It should be fresh and moist, rich in nutrients and well drained. Gladly slightly chalky and preferably not too acidic. The sunnier the light, the more moisture the soil should contain, whereas waterlogging is absolutely fatal for the summer flower. In the pot and flower box (€ 13.19 at Amazon *) the flame flower sets eye-catching accents if a high-quality compost-based potting soil is chosen as the substrate.

What is the best time to plant?

Planting time for a flame flower in a container is during the entire gardening season. As long as it doesn't freeze or the summer heat is brooding, you can plant the flower in the ground. In order to create the best starting conditions for this lush perennial, we recommend planting from mid-May, when the risk of late frosts has passed.

When is the flowering time?

With more than 70 species, the large phlox family has countless varieties. With the right combination, the bewitchingly fragrant splendor of the flame flower extends from early summer to the beginning of autumn. The most beautiful species and their central flowering period at a glance:

Forest phlox: blooms from April to May
Cushion phlox: flowering time from May to June
Meadow phlox: flowering period from late June to early August
Summer phlox: blooms from July to September

If you clean dead flowers regularly, you have a prolonging influence on the duration of the flowering period. Simply break out the faded panicles to make room for a profuse re-flowering. This effect is intensified if you shorten summer phlox in June by a third.

Properly cut phlox

A targeted cut at the right time is very important in the care of a flame flower. The scissors are used on these occasions:

Regularly cut out or break out wilted flower panicles
In early summer, shorten half of the flower stalks by a third for an extra long flowering period
Pruning a flower close to the ground after the main bloom will produce an autumn bloom in early varieties
Long-stemmed varieties of the flame flower cut as decorative vase jewelry

In autumn cut off all withered flower panicles, but leave the foliage on the plant as additional winter protection until next spring. Only before the new shoots cut off the retracted leaves of a flame flower close to the ground.

Pour phlox

The Flame Flower favors a substrate of variable moisture with intermittent drying phases. This claim implies that you always water when the surface of the earth is dry. Due to the rains, this is less necessary in beds than in pots or flower boxes. Avoid watering in the blazing sun and do not sprinkle the flower over the blossoms and leaves, the perennial thanks for this care with tireless blossoms.

Fertilize phlox properly

When budding begins, fertilize the flame flower every 14 days with an organic fertilizer such as compost, guano, bark humus or horn shavings (€ 10.44 at Amazon *). (€ 6.39 at Amazon *) Mineral long-term and complete fertilizers carry the risk that the nitrogen they contain will force the leaves to grow while the flower lags behind. For a flower in a planter, specialist retailers have organic liquid fertilizers ready, which can be easily administered.

Diseases

Although the breeders keep creating new, particularly resistant varieties, the flame flower in the hobby garden often suffers from powdery mildew. This fungal infection can be recognized by a floury, gray-white patina on the top and bottom of the leaf. Fresh milk has proven to be an effective home remedy in the early stages of infection. Mix 100 ml of fresh milk (not UHT milk) in 900 ml of water and spray the infected flower repeatedly.

Overwinter

With a few exceptions, all species and varieties of the flame flower are completely hardy. Gardeners only provide the perennial with the following winter protection in particularly rough regions:

The foliage remains on the flame flower until early spring
Before the first frost, cover the perennial in the bed with straw, coniferous twigs or leaves
If it is clear, water on mild days and do not fertilize

There is a risk of the root ball freezing to death in the pot and flower box. Small pots therefore move to frost-free, not too dark winter quarters. Voluminous vessels with a diameter of more than 30 centimeters are wrapped in foil and placed on wood. Cover the substrate with fir fronds, wood wool or a layer of leaves.

Propagate phlox

Once the enchanting flame flower has been spellbound, you can't get enough of this magnificent flower. How good that propagation is possible in different ways:

Division of the root ball in spring or autumn
Cut non-flowering cuttings to allow them to take root in the pot

The sowing of seeds, on the other hand, is not recommended, as it is comparatively complex and rarely promising. As these are cold germs, stratification is essential. In addition, the result mostly leaves something to be desired, especially when seeds are collected by hand.

Is Phlox Poisonous?

The flame flower does not contain any toxic ingredients. Therefore, the perennial of the year 2006 is considered an ideal candidate for the family garden. The colorful petals are even suitable as a tasty and decorative ingredient for salads and cold dishes.

Phlox does not bloom

It is so devastating when the hoped-for bloom of a flame flower is a long time coming or it fails completely. Don't throw the gun in the towel right away, because some of the most common causes of this grievance can be fixed, as the following overview shows:

Planted too deeply: Dig up the flower and put it back into the ground no more than the root neck
Drought stress: Always water the flame flower as soon as the substrate surface has dried
Nutrient deficiency: From the start of budding until July, fertilize organically every 14 days
Excess nitrogen: Do not use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that only allows the leaves to grow

In addition, if planted too early in spring, there is a risk that the buds will freeze to death. If in doubt, cover the young plants with garden fleece overnight. If the ice saints have already struck, cut back the frozen shoots by a third in June so that the flower can sprout and bloom again.

How do I care for phlox after flowering?

When this year's Flame Flower Festival is over, cut off the withered flower panicles. In this way, the flower saves its energy for next year's flowering and does not invest its forces in seed production. On the other hand, leave the foliage standing, provided the visual appearance of the garden does not suffer. The retracted leaves act as natural winter protection and are preferably cut off near the ground before the next shoot.

In the case of species and varieties that bloom in pre-summer, such as the forest phlox or the meadow phlox, cut back the flower close to the ground after the main bloom and fertilize with compost. If the weather is suitable, you can look forward to an autumn re-bloom.

Nice varieties

Clouds of Perfume: Light blue flowering forest phlox with early flowering from April; Growth height 40 cm
David: White large-leaf flame flower with a majestic silhouette; Growth height 100-120 cm
Crackerjack: Dainty upholstery phlox for a carmine-red carpet of flowers in the bed; Height 5-10 cm
Natascha; Two-colored flame flower with white and pink striped flowers in July and August; Growth height 80 cm
Argus: late blooming summer flower, the pink flowers of which surround a red eye; Height 80-100 cm
Blue Boy: Mid-late flame flower, whose purple-blue flowers are decorated with white stars; Height of growth 100 cm
Capri: Very healthy, deep red blooming summer beauty from July to August; Height of growth 100 cm