Phlox

Description and varieties. Phlox is a rhizome perennial ornamental plant. In Greek, "flox" means "flame."About 60 species and about 1500 varieties are known. Phloxes are widely distributed in ornamental floriculture. Its main advantage is comparative unpretentiousness, duration of flowering and variety of colors. Phloxes are one of the few perennial flower crops that can bloom about 5 months a year. Inflorescences in phlox are large, extremely colorful, differ both in pure and mottled tones - from snow-white to dark-violet. There are also "cotton" corollas with a peephole inside. All kinds of phloxes can be conditionally divided into 2 large groups - cluster, growing in height from 25 to 200 cm, and creeping. Of the first most widespread in the culture phlox is paniculate. Numerous varieties of phlox paniculate form a tall multistage shrub of 20-40 shoots. In height, the following groups of FLOXES are distinguished:

, undersized( 10-50 cm);% average( 50-100 cm);;; ; - high( 100-180 cm).

Phloxes have gradually opening flowers, collected in a multiflorous( up to 100 flowers) large paniculate inflorescence of different colors - white, pink, purple, lilac and red, and also two-color with a dark or light eye in the center. The forms of the inflorescences are varied in form and can be pyramidal, cylindrical, umbellate, shielding, paniculate and globose. Flowering phlox from the end of June to September inclusive. According to the terms of flowering, phloxes are divided into groups:

francnetsvetuschih spring( April-May),

early( May-June),

late( July-October) varieties.

There are annual phlox groups. Almost all phloxes have a delicate pleasant smell, and they are very popular with a variety of butterflies, bumblebees and bees. Post cuttings they stand in water for 8-10 days. In the group of creeping phloxes special attention deserves the phlox-shaped. This species is sometimes also referred to as turf. Its name is due to the styloid small leaves, which are located on the stem whorls. Stems creeping, rooted in knots, form dense sodnits in height of 15 sm, growing, they create the present extensive carpets.

Flowers are pale blue, violet, white, pink, crimson and red, small, collected in inflorescences of 2-4 pieces at the ends of shoots. Flowering usually lasts a month. It is very abundant, the flowers cover the leaves completely( repeated flowering is sometimes observed from September to frost).After flowering, the bushes grow and the phlox dernice retain ornamentality until the fall. In winter, if the snow cover is good, the leaves do not perish.

The most promising sorts of phlox frigging

Scarlet flower, Alyonushka, Africa, Biya, Smoky coral, Yunnat, Kirmeslendor, Natasha, Nega, Nikolay, Flamel, Novelty, Abundant, Success, Maria Nagibina, Regina, Cecil Handbury, Chkalov's memory, Festival, Skhodnya, Mashenka, Simon Woman, Carnival and Pluto.

Description of some varieties

Yaroslavna - flowers lilac-blue, inflorescence conical, flowers in July, plant height 80-90 cm

Sanrey - flowers sharlacovo-pink, inflorescence of round-conical shape, flowers in July, plant height 90-110 cm.

Thunderstorm - flowers blue-violet, inflorescence of rounded shape, blooms in late June-July, plant height 130 cm

Prince Igor ~ flowers purple-violet, inflorescence of rounded form, blooms in July-August, heightplants 60-80 cm. Svyatogor - flowers Ired flowers, inflorescence of flat-oval shape, flowers in July, plant height 60-70 cm

Inspiration - flowers bright pink with a red eye, inflorescence of flat-oval shape, blooms in July-August, plant height 90 cm. Arctic - white flowers, cone-shaped inflorescence, flowers in July, plant height 90 cm.

Yelenka - flowers pale pink with white eyes, inflorescence of rounded shape, blooms in July-August, plant height 70-90 cm

Phlox split apart, extended also belongs to the group of ground-laying pedicels-phloxes, but is a higher species - up to 25-40 cm. The stems are thin. It forms not such dense derniki, as the subulate phlox. Blooms in May, sometimes later, in June, with a lot of scented bluish, purple, lilac-blue flowers. There are varieties with white and dark purple flowers. Flowers 2-2.5 cm in diameter. Leaves oblong-lanceolate.

Phloxes, depending on the species and variety, are used in mixed group plantings, on various flowerbeds, low-growing species are used to create curbs, ground-covering phloxes look great in the form of curtains under fruit trees, like colored lawns on lawns, in rock gardens.

The best sorts of stylus phlox

Atroporpurea - light pink with a dark eye, Vivid - wine red, MASHNEE - white, Fayery - light lilac.

Cultivation. There are a lot of species and varieties of phlox, but according to agrotechnical requirements they are very similar: the soil is well-cultivated, rich in humus and mineral nutrients, humidified enough, but excess moisture is poorly tolerated. The soil for phlox must be loamy, sufficiently structured and cohesive, but heavy clayey soils that block the acidic soils of phlox are contraindicated. In the presence of such a soil under the plantation of phlox, it is recommended to make a drainage of sand and gravel with a layer of 10-15 cm. A mixture of foliage and garden soil is poured onto the drainage with the addition of up to 1/4 of the sand volume. This layer should be at least 15 cm thick. As fertilizer additives, compost at a rate of 5 kg / m2, peat land - 4-7 kg / m2, wood ash - 150-200 g / m2 are suitable. It is also useful to introduce decayed and rotten needles for them. The introduction of fresh manure for phloxes, even in small amounts, is contraindicated: it causes diseases and, first of all, rot. Phloxes are planted in open places and in partial shade where they bloom longer. Some varieties do not tolerate the open sun. Phloxes are winter-hardy, but in winters with little snow they can freeze. During the growing season, they are fed full mineral fertilizer. Summer under the phlox is regularly shallow loosened soil, weeds are removed, watered and fed with weak solutions of mineral fertilizers( nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium = 2. 1.5: 1).Effective three-time top dressing: during the period of growth - nitrogen fertilizers, during the budding - complex mineral, after flowering - organic. The soil in rows and rows is mulched with peat, compost, humus. This allows you to get abundant flowering every year. Phloxes are demanding for irrigation during the period of growth and budding.

The requirements of ground cover phlox to the growing conditions have a number of characteristics.

Flying phloxes recommend planting on sufficiently humid, lighter nutrient soils than those intended for panicle phlox. The phlox of the anus is necessary, in addition, to provide a well-lit sunny place, the flock spread is better developed on slightly shaded areas in the midday hours. He has a somewhat greater need for moisture and nutrients, he hibernates under light cover.

Cutting of phloxes

1. Cuttings cut from the neodrevesnegsheyshey part of the shoot. A cut is considered a cut with two pairs of leaves and one interstice. Lower leaves should be removed, cut the top half.

2. With a lack of planting material or the need to propagate a rare variety, leaf cuttings can be used. 3- Cuttings are planted in a light moist substrate, it is necessary to maintain a constant high humidity, which contributes to better rooting of the cuttings.

4. Within three or four weeks, the stem gives roots and takes root.

5. By autumn, the cutting allows the shoots and forms a fairly developed root system

Propagate phlox mainly vegetatively, as seeds in our climatic conditions are maturing poorly. Reproduction is diverse: in spring - by dividing the bush, by young shoots( buds of renewal), by spring cuttings;in the summer - green cuttings( leaf and stem), in autumn - root offsprings, layers and division of a bush. Shrubs in 4-5-year-old age are divided in spring and early autumn. Every 4-5 years for rejuvenation, they are divided into parts and transplanted to a new place, otherwise the inflorescences and flowers begin to grow smaller. After transplantation, they blossom much more luxuriantly.

In the spring, phloxes are planted as soon as the earth thaws, and in the autumn - before the end of growth, because before winter they must give young roots. The distance between the bushes should be 45-60 cm.

In June and July, phloox cuttings are cut. Take on the cuttings neodrevesnevshie shoots. If they began to grow lignified from the bottom, take the upper parts. The stalk is 2 pairs of leaves with 1 interstice. Lower the cut directly under the kidneys, the top - 5 mm above the upper leaves. Lower leaves remove, upper - cut half. Cuttings should be planted on a well-prepared garden. The soil under the cuttings should be prepared in advance. On a layer of fertile garden soil 10-15 cm thick, pour a layer of pure river sand 2-4 cm thick. Cuttings cut to 1.5-2 cm, the distance when planting 4-5 cm in a row, 6-8 cm between rows. Planted cuttings are recommended to cover the stretched film on the frame to create the necessary microclimates for rooting. Single-planted cuttings can be covered with a glass jar with a wide throat. Planting cuttings must be shaded, occasionally aired and sprinkled with water in hot weather up to 6 times a day. Roots will appear in about 15 days. After that, reduce the number of sprayings and gradually increase the ventilation.

Phloxes are propagated and leaf cuttings. With a sharp knife or razor, cut off the axillary bud with a piece of stalk and a leaf. Kidney plant in a well-prepared greenhouse or in a box, at the same distance as the stem cuttings. Care for them is the same as for stem cuttings. A good lobe of roots is formed in 18-20 days. The growing phloxes also multiply by dividing the bush, layers and cuttings. It is better to make the division in the autumn, but if certain rules are followed, it is possible to divide these phloxes even during the flowering state throughout the growing season. The excavated bush is divided into parts with roots and planted on a prepared place, forming whole curtains. The floks of the sparse are separated by pieces of turf with several shoots. Reproduction is also very effective by means of a layering. In the stems lying on wet loose soil at the nodes, very quickly the roots are formed. Using this feature, pins shoots to the ground. Observe the humidity. A year later, these rooted shoots are separated and planted in another place.

Cuttings are cut in spring, before flowering, or after it in June-July. The stalk should have 3-4 knots, the lower leaves and side shoots are removed from it and planted in small pairs after 5-7 cm from each other to a depth of 2-3 cm. Observe the moisture content of the substrate, which is prepared from the mixture of compost with sand. The sand needs up to 1/3 of the volume. Often suit airing cuttings. In autumn, entrenched young plants are planted in a permanent place. Young plantings for the winter should be covered with lapnik.

The most common phlox disease is powdery mildew. Control measures: spraying with a combined composition( 100 g of green soap, 20 g of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water) or 0.5% solution of soda ash, pollination with sulfur until the first signs of the disease appear on dry sunny days, effectively spraying at the firstsigns of defeat infusion of mullein or an appropriate herb. Spraying is carried out after 8-10 days, alternating preparations.