Phlox annuals, planting and care in the open field. Phlox annual planting and care in the open field Phlox annual stunted

Fragrant phlox annuals fill the garden with a delicate aroma. These ornamental plants have versatility, unpretentiousness, which makes them suitable for growing on the plots of gardeners and summer residents.

This article contains information about the features of culture, external characteristics. After reading to the end, you can find out when to plant and grow annual phlox from seeds, what other planting methods exist, and also about the conditions necessary for this.

Phlox annuals

Agricultural technology of culture

Annuals do not require any special growing conditions, unlike phlox perennials. Previously, planting seeds in open ground was considered a thankless task, since the seeds did not want to sprout.

This is because the seeds are quite large, have a dense outer shell. Therefore, there was an opinion that they should be buried to a depth of 0.3 m. In fact, they should be planted on the surface of the soil, sprinkled a little with earth, since the plant loves sunlight and moisture.

Do not plant in cold ground. It should warm up to 11 degrees Celsius at a depth of 0.7 m. The air temperature at the time of disembarkation is at least 20 degrees Celsius. Watering requires regular, plentiful.

Interesting! Phloxes perennial or annual are often chosen due to their hardiness, adaptability to changing conditions, winter hardiness and frost resistance, high degree of growth and reproduction.

culture propagation

There are 2 ways to plant annual phlox:

Growing seedlings.
Planting seeds in open ground.

Seedling propagation

It is used if it is necessary to get guaranteed flowering this season. To do this, in mid-May, seeds are sown in boxes on the surface, lightly sprinkled with earth. After sowing, the container is covered with a film, put in a warm and dark place. Every day it is necessary to remove the film for 2-3 hours, water when the soil dries.

reproduction

In a week, the first shoots will appear. The shoots are moved to a warm place where the sun's rays fall, fertilized 1 time with liquid nitrogen. With the onset of heat (approximately in mid-April), the box is put outside every day for 2-3 hours.

Important! In May, when the soil has warmed up and it is warm outside, the seedlings are planted in the ground at a distance of 15-20 cm.

Planting seeds in open ground

This method is more popular because it allows you to get healthy, profusely blooming flowers at a low cost. There is even an opinion that annual phloxes can only be grown by seed.

Landing conditions:

The main requirement is the possibility of abundant watering. It should be flat terrain with a slight slope. Places under the crown of trees are not suitable.
You can plant seedlings both in an open area and in partial shade. The best place will be under the protection of shrubs and small trees with shade during the hot hours.
In Siberia, the northern regions of Russia with a cold climate, phloxes are placed in areas protected from cold winds (next to hedges, medium-sized plants).
A flower garden is arranged in the eastern, western side of the house. Plants feel worst of all near the northern wall, in the shade of coniferous trees.

Soil composition and fertilization

On a note! Loose soil is used for planting seeds, which can retain moisture well. The acidity of the soil should be neutral, but phloxes tolerate slightly acidic soils.

ground for spring planting prepared in autumn. They dig up the earth, add 1 liter of organic matter per m², add bone meal, 150 g of ash, and 60 g of superphosphate. Lime is additionally added to acidic soil.

In the spring, before planting, the soil is dug up, filled with leaf humus and a substrate, which is made up of peat, humus, sand, and sod land in equal amounts. 2 days before planting, the soil is watered abundantly.

Instructions for planting seeds in open ground

Sowing seeds is carried out around the beginning of May, when the soil is well warmed up, it is warm outside.

During the day, gardeners make small holes (2-3 cm deep) at a distance of 15 cm from each other. 3-5 seeds are laid in each, sprinkled with earth. The soil after planting is slightly moistened with a pulverizer. Moisten the soil every 2-3 days.

Important! After 2 weeks, the first shoots appear. Nitrogen fertilizers are being applied to them. Feed and loosen the soil once a week.

culture care

Annual phloxes require compliance with all conditions of care to obtain large inflorescences. If you break the technology, you can destroy the plant.

Watering

An adult plant is watered 3-4 times a week.

Attention! The culture does not tolerate long stagnation of water, drought. Soil moisture should be carefully checked daily.

How to take care of the soil

At least once a week, the soil is loosened at a shallow depth so as not to damage the roots of the plant. Before flowering, it is recommended to make foliage with humus, which is collected at the end of autumn from the site.

Plant nutrition

Beautiful and lush annual phlox cannot be grown without top dressing. As soon as the plant sprouts, it is fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers, after a week 30 g of ammonium nitrate, 40 g of wood ash and about 20 g of sulfate are added.

In the second half of May, a tincture of mullein and chicken manure is made in proportions of 1:2.

During the budding period, organic fertilizer is applied from 20 g of ash.

When flowering begins, they give top dressing in the form of mineral fertilizer - 20 g in dry form.

Note! Fertilizer is applied under the base of the bush. If liquid top dressing is used, then the soil is watered before and after application. Dry fertilizers can not be poured on leaves, flowers.

Bloom

Almost all varieties of annual phlox bloom almost the entire season, some even before frost. Experienced gardeners choose several types of successively flowering varieties for the site.

The flowering period begins in mid-May. During this period, it is necessary to provide the plant with constant moisture, loosening 2 times a week, top dressing.

Why does the plant not bloom

It often happens that the flowering period of phlox should have begun a long time ago, but the formation of buds does not occur. Possible reasons:

Lighting - plants do not get enough light, so they develop more slowly.
The composition of the soil does not have enough fertilizer.
Phloxes do not receive an abundant amount of moisture, or, on the contrary, they are waterlogged.
Not enough space for the plant to grow. It often happens when phloxes are planted in a small flowerpot, a small flower bed.

On a note! If the gardener found a lack of flowering, then it is necessary to inspect the crop, check the soil, and fertilize if they have not been applied before.

Diseases and pests

Phlox rarely get sick:

Curly - the leaves are modified, the stems are deformed, reduced.
Variegation - the appearance of white stripes on the flowers.
Rust - spots appear on the plant Brown. Affected fates die off over time.

Diseases and pests

Treatment:

All infected areas are removed.
They are treated with pharmaceutical preparations: fungicides, a solution of colloidal sulfur, trichodermin.

If the culture curls up and dries out, then this is a sign of the location of a slobbering pennitsa. It looks like saliva.

On a note! To cure a plant early stages using soapy water. If it does not help, then it is necessary to spray special. drugs. Suitable Aktara, Phytoferm, Iskra, Karbofos.

plant neighbors

When choosing a neighbor, annual phloxes take into account the flowering season, as well as the characteristics of the flowers:

Combinations of the plant with delphinium, lily, oriental poppy or lupins look advantageous.
Spring phloxes are used to decorate borders, so dwarf irises can become their neighbors.
For a combination, plants are taken that bloom in a different period. Often use dwarf wormwood, chistets, yaskolki.
In autumn, phloxes look good with spireas, barberries.
In summer, low-growing bells, geraniums, mountaineer, carnation-grass will be an excellent addition.
Gardeners often choose the option of placing flowers with snowdrops, crocuses among decorative stones.

Autumn Care

Interesting! At the beginning of autumn, 1 tbsp is added under the bush. superphosphate, 1 tsp ash. The soil around is sprayed with fungicides.

In late autumn, after flowering is complete, the plant is recommended to be cut. There are 2 schemes for this:

The ground part is cut off at a height of 2-3 cm from the ground. After removing the stem, the risk of infection with diseases, insects and pests disappears.
The stems are cut, leaving 10 cm of hemp. From the remaining buds, young shoots develop in spring. In practice, they grow much worse than from the root.

If you plan to plant phlox next spring, then they collect seeds.

Organic waste after pruning is raked and then burned.

Preparing for winter

To protect the kidneys from possible frosts, the plant must be covered.

Annual phloxes processed in spring are covered with a 10 cm layer of peat, compost or humus. To insulate one plant, about 1 bucket of mulching material is scattered around its perimeter. Mulch is covered with spruce branches.

Important! It is forbidden to cover the plant with airtight and moisture-proof materials (linoleum, film, roofing material). Prolonged lack of moisture and oxygen will cause the phlox to rot.

Shelter is removed in the spring in warm weather, when the risk of a cold snap disappears.

Proper planting technology and competent care are the key to successful cultivation of annual phlox on the site. Elegant, lush flowers will favorably take care, becoming the main attraction of the garden of summer residents and gardeners, pleasing the eyes of visitors and households.

These scented beautiful flowers came to Europe from North America from the middle of the 18th century and became inhabitants of lawns, gardens, borders, borders, and often even balconies. It is possible that the harsh climate of the homeland endowed them with strength, unpretentiousness, vitality.

Phloxes (in the lane with Greek- "flame") belong to the genus of herbaceous plants from the cyanotic family. They number about 70 species, and only a little more than half of them are grown.

Among the many varieties, varieties, annual Drummond phloxes are in favor with professional and amateur flower growers. Compared with their long-term "relatives", they have long owned the palm. This is largely due to the large variety of varieties, flower shapes, their shades compared to perennials. They look great on alpine slides, flower beds. They can decorate the space near the houses with the help of decorative containers.

In one complex phlox inflorescence, about 90 flowers can be collected. Each of them has 5 stamens and recurved petals, 1 pistil.

Their tubular-funnel shape resembles simple, semi-double and double stars, snowflakes with a rich palette of tones and halftones. These are beige, cream, red, pink, yellow, blue, purple, brown, black and other colors.

Phloxes have an amazing ability to change their appearance, reacting to the vagaries of "mother nature", the climate. So, for example, in the bright sun, their colors become brighter, and in cloudy times, they fade.

And the bushes themselves with a green mass of developed shoots resemble a colorful ball. Under more favorable conditions, they will be upright even up to 1.5 m high. There are also phloxes-semi-shrubs.

And those growing at high altitude will be bryophyte and undersized up to 25 cm with evergreen leaves. The most commonly grown phloxes are erect with entire, sessile, oval, lanceolate, oblong ovate leaves.

If you know and know how to grow such plants, then you can admire their delicate beauty from spring to early autumn. After all, according to the time of flowering, they are early, middle and late.

There are possibilities for propagating phloxes vegetatively:

layering
cuttings
dividing the bush

However, many flower growers prefer the use of seeds for breeding seedlings. From them you can grow quite strong seedlings suitable for planting on time.

After all, even seeds that crumble into the ground in autumn give up to 70% germination in spring. And yet, we offer you to get acquainted with some of the nuances of hand-planting seeds for the effective cultivation of seedlings.

When to plant seedlings

An important argument in favor seedling cultivation phlox - avoiding cases of freezing of seedlings from seeds that have fallen into the ground. Along with this, plants from seedlings have longer periods of flowering plants.

Preparation for planting seeds of annual flowers begins from late February to mid-March. Such terms allow you to see the fertility after 2 months in May. And the seeds sown directly on the site at the same time germinate and bloom only from the end of September.

This process consists of preparing the soil, containers, the seeds themselves, as well as creating optimal lighting, temperature regime. At the same time, in each of these stages there are nuances, ignoring which is undesirable.

Land and seed preparation

Loose soil is suitable for planting seedlings, consisting of peat, rotted humus, lime, sand, mineral fertilizers. It is placed in various containers (boxes, containers, cells, peat pots, etc.). Then the earth is moderately moistened and the sowing of seeds begins.

Sowing seeds

Held in March. Despite the density of large seeds, they do not require strong penetration into the soil mixture, but good lighting. They simply crumble on the surface, lightly pressed with the palm of your hand and sprayed a little from the spray bottle.

After that, the container with the planted seeds is covered with transparent glass or film and is located in a warm and bright place, for example, on a windowsill. It should be at least +23 °C here.

Further, daily airing of future shoots, spraying, careful shaking of the resulting condensate from the film / glass is carried out. As soon as the small roots of the hatched seeds attach to the ground, the transparent "shelters" are removed. After 7-10 days, the first shoots already appear.

seedling care

It consists in picking 2-3 weeks after the appearance of the first true leaves at a distance of more than 15 cm, uniform illumination at a temperature of +20°C.

Moderate watering through a spray gun is done with dried top layer soil. For hardening on the eve of planting sprouts in the open, you need to lower the temperature to +15 ° C, increase the frequency of irrigation with the addition of mineral fertilizers.

When 4-5 leaves appear, the plant is pinched to form the splendor of the bushes.

After the onset of sustained heat in May, seedlings are transplanted in areas with mild, fertile soil saturated with biohumus, compost. "Heavy" land must be lightened with sand, organic matter, peat. The best option- sandy, non-clay soil with good drainage, medium acidity.

When planting seedlings on the site, a place is selected in partial shade, where direct sunlight does not penetrate. Taking into account the future height, spreading of adult phloxes, a distance of about 20 cm is observed between the “neighbors” (snapdragon, bells, etc.).

Landing is carried out in a small hole with the addition of ash (up to 150 g). A seedling with horizontally straightened roots is placed there and slightly covered with earth.

After "relocation" to open ground, growing phlox is quite easy and enjoyable.

Main principle caring for one-year-old phlox in the summer - do not interfere with growth!

To comply with it will require:

regular watering in hot weather, as the plant withers during drought due to overheating of the root system
periodic careful loosening of the soil to ensure its breathability. In the 2nd half of the growing season of the plant, hilling is carried out to form the root system
pinching shoots to create the splendor of the bush, accelerating the onset of flowering
4-fold top dressing with mineral fertilizers, organic matter:

the first is carried out at the end of May with manure,
the second - in early June with liquid manure with superphosphate / potassium salt,
the third - in the first decade of July only with liquid manure, the 4th - at the end of July with phosphorus with potassium salt. For violent flowering, the plant can be fertilized several times a season. ammonium nitrate.

To increase the effect of these simple methods of agricultural technology, mulching the soil around the plants will help. Re-growing phlox next year is already possible using your own seeds.

It is necessary to select the chosen varieties of flowers for subsequent breeding on time. To do this, the branches, along with large boxes that have already begun to turn yellow, must be cut off after flowering is completed.

Further ripening of seeds will take place in a paper or linen, but not plastic, bag. After cracking the oval box, the seeds remain in the same bag.

It remains only to sort the most ripe, large planting material and store it in a dark, dry, cool place until the next sowing in the spring.

Drummond has 2 varieties:

Large-flowered phlox which can grow to a height of about 30cm. Their rather large inflorescences are characterized by a variety of colors, but phloxes with red tones look especially attractive. These include varieties such as: Tall white, Tall bright red, Tall fiery red.
stellate differ in greater height (up to 40 cm) and less often - lower ones up to 15 cm. bright flowers outwardly resemble stars with an eye in the middle.

Individual gardeners classify annual phloxes not only according to these characteristics, but also by a low height of up to 20 cm. These are the so-called dwarf flowers.

Today, the most common varieties of Drummonda are:

Annuals phlox, we sow seeds Drummond Phlox video

We hope that with the help of these basic information, you will be able to realize your design ideas beautification of the garden and home.

Phlox appeared in Europe almost four centuries ago. These flowers are native to North America, where they grow in large numbers.

In Russia (more precisely, in Rus'), annual phloxes have been known for a long time, but earlier the flower was called “sitchik” among our ancestors for its varied color and simplicity.

Translated from Greek, "phlox" means "flame".

Such a beautiful name is explained as appearance bright phlox, and the existing old legend. There is a legend that Odysseus, leaving the kingdom of the dead of the god Hades, threw his flaming torch near the entrance. And the fire of this torch did not die out, but flared up, and turned into the same fiery flowers, in memory of the great ancient Greek hero.

Phloxes are very popular among both beginner gardeners and those who have been growing flowers for many years. This is explained by the fact that phloxes are not just beautiful, but are a real decoration of any flower garden. The beauty of phloxes is also that they are easy to care for, easy to breed, and with honor endure our harsh climatic conditions. They are not afraid of frost, they are unpretentious, do not require summer time a lot of attention, and at the same time they have an incomparable aroma.

All this makes phlox truly indispensable for flower lovers.

To date, the number of varieties of phlox is approaching sixty, while almost all of them are perennial. However, for decoration garden beds and flower beds, only 15-20 species are used, but the flowering of these varieties can be admired for 4-6 months. Therefore, phloxes are appropriate in absolutely any design.

Choosing the right place

Growing phlox is not at all difficult, although some effort will certainly have to be made. However, there is no comparison with the difficulty of growing other flowers when choosing phlox.

First of all, for phloxes you need to choose a suitable place in the garden. This is the most important thing if you are going to enjoy the flowering of your "calico" for many years.

Phloxes really do not like excessive moisture, although they need good watering. However, there should be no stagnant water when growing phlox. Thin roots of phlox cannot stand this, and simply rot.

Therefore, in the lowlands, where water accumulates after rains, it is not necessary to plant phloxes, you will simply destroy your plants. Plant your flowers enough high areas land, it is possible even on beds with a height of no more than 15 cm. Under these conditions, the flower will feel good.

It is also highly advisable not to plant phlox next to trees, shrubs or other plants with large roots that are located shallow underground. Phloxes in such a neighborhood will lack moisture and light, and it may wither from a lack of nutrition.

Suitable soil

As for the composition of the soil, phloxes are unpretentious enough so that this issue can not be given special attention. They will thrive in a wide variety of soils, but these flowers thrive best if you offer them moist, light, loose soil.

Watering

One of the main requirements for caring for phlox is proper watering.

Phlox love moisture so much that they suffer from drought even where ground water located fairly close to the soil surface. Even in such places, flowers require mandatory watering, otherwise their superficial roots will simply dry out.

Watering phlox is carried out as follows. For 1 square meter the surface of the soil where phloxes grow, you need to pour at least two buckets of warm water. Moreover, at the beginning of summer, it is recommended to add a little boric acid(about the tip of a teaspoon) or a little potassium permanganate, so that the water for irrigation acquires a slightly brownish tint.

top dressing

Phloxes, like any flower crops, need high-quality feeding. And you need to feed them during the season at least five times, and this should be done either immediately after watering, or after heavy rain, when the earth is sufficiently moist.

Phloxes are fed for the first time in early spring before the snow finally melts. Fertilizer is applied per 1 square meter, which includes:

30 g of ammonium nitrate;
40 g of ash;
50 superphosphate.

The second time phloxes need to be fed closer to the beginning of summer, in the twentieth of May. At this time, before the start of active growth, plants need organic fertilizer. Therefore, they should be fed with a solution of fermented manure in a ratio of 1:12, or a solution of chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20. Or, if you do not have such a fertilizer, you can fertilize with ammonium nitrate in a proportion of 30 g per bucket of water.

The third time phloxes are fed at the beginning of summer, with exactly the same fertilizer as the second time. In this case, you can add a little wood ash to the water.

The fourth time phloxes are fed in mid-July, during active flowering. This time, the flowers need mineral dressing, and to make it, you need to add 20 g of superphosphate and 50 g of wood ash to a bucket of warm water.

Exactly the same top dressing should be made in August, and the phlox should be fed with it for the fifth time.

It should be noted that from about July, nitrogen fertilizers should not be used to feed phloxes, and after the last, fifth feeding, it is no longer necessary to fertilize the flowers at all so that they leave for the winter without new buds and shoots.

Phlox breeding

Growing phlox from seed

Phlox can be grown different ways, including from seeds, although this is not so simple. However, subject to certain rules and the appropriate technique, there is nothing too complicated in this method of reproduction. The main problem is that large phlox seeds, which have a dense and thick shell, are reluctant to sprout. This is true, but only if these seeds are planted at a depth and sprinkled with earth on top.

Even if you dig seeds at a distance of 0.5 cm from the surface, they are unlikely to germinate simply because phlox seeds necessarily need sunlight to grow. Therefore, seeds germinate without problems only if they are placed on the soil surface and have good lighting.

Accordingly, in order to obtain seedlings when growing phloxes from seeds, they should be spread out on the surface of the earth, while the earth must be sufficiently moist. Moreover, the seeds need to be sprayed every day from a spray bottle of warm water, and covered with a film on top so that the earth does not dry out and condensation forms inside. Every day, boxes with germinating seeds should be ventilated by removing the film, shaking off condensation so that there is no excess moisture, and lightly spraying with fresh water. You need to place boxes with future seedlings in a place where it will be enough sunlight. At the same time, direct sunlight should be avoided during the daytime. For example, you can put a box of seeds on the east window.

If you follow these simple rules Phlox seeds will sprout quickly.

Seedling care rules

The first seeds may germinate as early as the fourth day, and small green shoots will sprout from them.

In order for small phloxes to develop correctly and quickly, the following rules must be observed:

in the room where you put the box with plants, the temperature should not fall below 20 degrees;
a box with seedlings must be covered with foil for at least the first two or three days after germination;
small phloxes need to be sprayed daily with water, avoiding either drying out or, conversely, excessive wetting of the soil surface;
on the fourth day, you need to remove the film that covers the box, and do not cover the seedlings anymore. In this case, the box must be deployed on the window so that the sun's rays hit all the sprouts evenly. Otherwise, phloxes constantly illuminated by the sun will stretch too quickly, and those who get little light may die;
as the seedlings grow, the temperature should be gradually reduced to 15-17 degrees. This will not only harden the sprouts, but also prevent them from stretching too much. In addition, in the coolness, the root system of the flower becomes stronger;
gradually reduce the temperature in the room to 15 degrees. This simultaneously hardens the sprouts, and also helps to prevent their stretching. If you decide to do this, then take into account that watering in this case becomes a little more frequent.

Planting phlox in open ground

When planting phlox seedlings in open ground, you need to decide for yourself in each case, taking into account the climatic conditions of your region and seasonal temperatures.

If the soil has warmed up and dry, warm weather has set in already in April, seedlings can be planted under the open sky. If prolonged rains usually fall in your region in April, then it is better to postpone planting, otherwise the seedlings that are not strong enough will simply rot in the wet ground.

Before you decide whether it's time to send the seedlings to the garden, or you should wait a little longer, watch the weather forecast for a few days. It is very important, in addition to fears of excessive moisture, to take into account that even in the case of not very strong night frosts, tender sprouts may die.

After the phlox sprouts are in your garden, they should then be watered, loosened, fed and cared for in accordance with the rules that were described above.

And then your phloxes, grown from seeds, will feel great, and delight you with lush flowering for more than one summer.

Drummond's annual phloxes (see photo) are favorite plants for many flower growers who are engaged in landscaping their garden plot. Varietal diversity brought them great popularity, allowing them to pick up specimens of an amazing shade and shape of a flower for a flower bed.

For all their beauty, annual phloxes do not require complex care and considerable effort to grow, so even a novice summer resident can plant them in a flower bed.

All bred varieties of annual phlox are obtained from a single plant - Drummond, named after its discoverer, a British botanist. It was he who brought this amazing flower to Europe, initiating a new branch of breeding work.

Florists most of all fell in love with several varieties of annual phlox, and they are most often found in flower beds:

"Flickering Star" It is a miniature bush, the maximum height of which reaches only 25 cm. The shape of the petals is unusual, pointed, while the buds themselves form into inflorescences small size. This is an ideal culture not only for growing in the garden, but also on the balcony;
"Star Rain". The height of the bush of this variety is about 50 cm, the stems can be either erect or branching. The annual phlox got its name for the original shape of the flowers, similar to stars, which are collected in racemose inflorescences. The variety does not tolerate shade and is characterized by a pronounced aroma;
"Promis pink" - undersized, compact variety (up to 20 cm in height). characteristic feature plants - abundant and fairly long flowering, so it is often used for decorative design rocky hills. Flowers terry, large, bright pink shade;
"Constellation" - this variety of annual phlox looks very impressive, not only in the photo. It is often used in group plantings and for cutting. Flowers amaze with a variety of bright and delicate shades from white to red, while the size of the buds does not exceed 3 cm. The plant branches strongly, and its inflorescences in the form of shields exude a pleasant aroma.

Depending on what you want decorative effect annual phloxes can be planted both individually and mixed different varieties. Undersized are suitable for decorating borders and alpine slides. In addition, the flower feels great in large buckets, pots or tubs, which allows you to create original compositions for gardening a yard or terrace.

How to grow annual phlox from seeds

Most often, annual phloxes are grown in seedlings - this allows you to achieve longer and better flowering. If you want to sow the seeds directly into the ground, do it before winter so that the plants bloom faster in the spring. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the buds until the end of summer - this is due to the long period of germination.

Features of sowing directly into the ground

For the successful cultivation of annual phloxes from seeds in open ground follow a few guidelines:

Start sowing seeds in the fall, in October or November. If snow has already fallen during the specified period, it must be removed from the garden and scatter the seeds directly on the ground, keeping a distance of 4-5 cm;
So that the seed does not suffer with the onset of frost, the beds should be sprinkled with earth, hidden under a small layer of snow, and then covered with straw or leaves;
When the first shoots appear in early spring, it is important to pick them out after building a pair of true leaves. The distance between plants should be at least 20 cm.

In the future, plants require standard care, which consists in watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and weeding from weeds.

Features of growing seedlings

It is possible to sow seeds of annual phloxes for seedlings at home throughout March - it all depends on the weather conditions of a particular region. For areas where the last frosts end earlier, sowing is carried out in the first days of the month, and for colder regions it shifts to the last week.

Loose, nutritious soil is used for sowing (a mixture of peat, rotted humus, sand, a small amount of mineral fertilizers for flowering plants, notice). Any convenient container can be used as a container, but seedling boxes are most often used.

The sowing scheme is as follows:

The soil in the box should be moderately moistened and seed should be scattered over its surface without indentation.
Seeds are sprinkled with a small amount of earth and sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle.
The box is covered with a transparent plastic bag or glass and placed in a warm (not less than +23), well-lit place.
Crops must be ventilated daily to avoid the formation of strong condensation.
After the appearance of the first shoots, the glass or film is removed, while maintaining a constant soil moisture is necessary.

When the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are picked in separate pots or in one large box, observing a distance of 15 cm. In the first days after transplantation, protect seedlings from direct sun rays with opaque film or newspaper.

You can pinch seedlings to form lush bushes after the appearance of 5-6 true leaves. Also, do not forget about mineral supplements, which must include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Hardening of seedlings is carried out before planting in the ground, in the month of April - for this, it is enough to take out the plants for outdoor balcony or in the garden, leaving for a couple of hours.

Planting and care in the open field

Planting of annual phloxes in open ground is carried out in May, when the threat of night frosts is likely to pass. For seedlings, beds with light, fertile soil, in which compost and biohumus are present, are suitable. If the earth is loamy, heavy, peat, sand and organic fertilizers must be added to it.

An ideal place for seedlings is a well-lit area of the flower bed, but without access to direct sunlight. It is best to plant phloxes in partial shade - in such conditions they will retain the rich color of the buds for a long time.

For planting annual phlox, shallow holes are dug, sprinkling the bottom with ash (up to 150 g) and a small amount of compost. It is important to spread the roots horizontally so that they can develop normally and the plant takes root faster in the garden. The voids in the hole are filled with earth, moderate watering and mulching.

In order for the phloxes on your site to be as beautiful as in the photo from the nurseries, do not forget to take care of the plants after planting in open ground:

Be sure to water with the onset of heat (morning and evening) right under the root so that the flowers do not wither from overheating of the root system. The water must be room temperature, not cold, since the roots can be damaged when the soil dries out;
Loosen the ground regularly to increase its breathability, and also mulch the beds with peat, humus, compost or leaves - this is necessary to prevent the soil from drying out;
Pinch the tops of young plants for better branching and the formation of compact bushes;
Remove faded or faded inflorescences - this will help extend the budding period of the annual phlox.

It is also necessary to feed phloxes - nutrients, minerals, micro and macro elements contribute to their full development and high-quality flowering. For this, organic and mineral compositions are used:

25-30 g of liquid manure per 1 bucket of water at the end of May;
The same amount of manure with the addition of potassium salt and superphosphate is applied in the first days of June, and at the end of the same month only organic matter is used;
30 g of superphosphate and potassium salt per 1 bucket of water are used as fertilizer in the last days of July.

Care annual phlox simple - to decorate your garden with bright inflorescences, a few agricultural techniques are enough.

There are not many flowers suburban area, especially if these are such unpretentious plants as phloxes. Phloxes (translated from Latin - “Flame”) amaze not only with an exquisite and delicate smell, but also with the uniqueness of colors. It is unconditionally recognized that there are practically no problems with them. Nevertheless, one cannot pass by some features in planting perennial phlox seeds in autumn in open ground and in spring for seedlings.

Varieties and varieties of perennial phlox:

Interesting! Perennial phloxes are not only paniculate, but it is virtually impossible to find seeds of other species on sale 🙂

And the only variety annual plants is phlox Drummond.

By the way! The site has a separate material about.

Growing perennial phloxes from seeds: terms and rules for planting

Perennial phloxes are planted with seeds, as a rule, in order to obtain a large number of plants, for example, to create borders, dividing strips in the garden.

You can purchase seeds at the store or collect seed boxes in the garden yourself in the fall.

Note! Phlox from seeds proper care, bloom in the second year. Just be sure!

Phlox seeds can be sown before winter in open ground or at the end of winter and beginning of spring for seedlings.

Sowing in autumn in open ground

If you are going to sow phlox seeds immediately on the beds at the end of autumn (October-November), then it is very convenient to do this in plastic rings that can be cut out of plastic 5 liter bottles. According to the rules of sowing before winter, it is necessary to sow only on frozen soil and cover it with dry earth without watering.

Advice! Seeding rate in winter period it is desirable to increase compared to sowing seeds for seedlings in the spring.

Sowing in the spring for seedlings

It is convenient to sow phloxes at home in food-grade plastic containers with a lid (or any other shallow containers), in which it is imperative not to forget to make drainage holes (to drain excess moisture).

You can take the most common universal land for growing seedlings of flowers. The soil should be light and loose.

Step-by-step instructions for sowing perennial phlox with seeds:

Pour the earth into the planting containers 3/4. Smooth it out nicely.
Spill the soil before planting with a solution for it.
Carefully and evenly spread the seeds over the surface or along the grooves.

The seeds of the perennial phlox are not small, it is convenient to sow them.

Sprinkle 0.5-1 cm of soil on top.
Cover the container with a lid or cling film.
Remove the container with crops under the snow, as close to the ground as possible (it is best to put it on a board or plywood so that there is a flat surface).
After germination (which will occur in about a month) until planting in the ground, keep the seedlings at home on a bright windowsill.

If you don’t have the opportunity to bring containers with crops to the garden (let’s say you live in an apartment, but you can’t get to the dacha in winter), then you can use another waysowing seeds, namely:

Seeds need to be mixed with wet sand and removed for stratification in the refrigerator until they hatch.

It is under such conditions that you will create the most suitable conditions(acceptable temperature) for the germination of phlox seeds. So they'll get through natural stratification.

After germination (as a rule, it takes up to a month) - plant in containers to a depth of 1 cm and already grow at home at a temperature of 18-25 degrees.

Planting phlox seedlings in open ground

When phlox seedlings have 5-6 true leaves, they should be planted in open ground. Usually such a period is suitable around May, the frosts will just pass, and nothing will threaten the seedlings anymore.

Place in the garden For further cultivation it is desirable to choose sunny or with light partial shade.

The soil for the normal development of the flower requires loose and fertile, rich in organic matter. If your soil is too heavy, then add sand, peat or any other soil baking powder to it.

How to care for perennial phlox in the garden

Further care for phlox consists in regular watering as the soil dries up, loosening and weeding from weeds, as well as timely top dressing.

It is especially important to carry out frequent watering on hot and dry summer days, otherwise the flowering will not be so plentiful and saturated.

It is important not to pour the flower, as the plant does not tolerate stagnant water well, it can simply rot.

Worth knowing! And it is also advisable to transplant phloxes every 4-6 years to a new place.

As a rule, phloxes begin feed in the spring to build green mass. As such a fertilizer, you can use,. Plants will be grateful for organic top dressing. So, you can fertilize with infusion of mullein or chicken manure. The next top dressing during the period of budding and active flowering, of course, should already be without nitrogen (or with its minimum amount), but exclusively with the use of potassium and.

Video: the secrets of caring for perennial phlox

Thus, to the delight of both advanced flower growers and beginner gardeners, caring for these amazingly beautiful and fragrant flowers called phlox is not particularly difficult. Just for the sake of the good of flowers, grow them not anyhow, but correctly, adhering to our recommendations for choosing containers for seedlings, places, soil, sowing and further care before landing on the flower bed.

Video: how to grow perennial phlox from seeds

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