Give Your Garden or Yard Dramatic Flair with Creeping Phlox

You may have seen creeping phlox growing somewhere but may have not known what it is called. This particular species of flower is somewhat hearty in the summers. It cannot tolerate long periods of drought without frequent watering.

The range of colors you will find in phlox will be anywhere from bright white to a dark purple. This is usually not a choice of landscapers in the states of Oklahoma and Texas as they have longer drought periods than most other states, excluding of course Nevada, Phoenix and New Mexico. The latter three tend to provide their citizens with cacti and succulents more than other states.

Creeping phlox does exactly what its name states - it creeps. This slow growing plant will take over a large bare area of ground over a long period of time. With that in mind it is advisable to not plant these low growing flowers any closer than twelve inches to each other.

Providing these plants with the right care can vary from plant to plant according to how they are cultivated from their seeds. Early frequent watering may not be a good idea if you need it to grow in a dry climate. Luckily this plant is known to adapt to various climates and terrain. Now found all over the world, this dainty flower was found in both desert and cool climates before it became a star in the gardens they grace today.

Growing creeping phlox from an established plant at a garden nursery will be much easier than trying to grow them from their seed if you are new to gardening. Well drained soil is a must as they do not like to be bogged down in water. Burms are ideal planting areas as varying colors will add texture and vibrancy to your gardens.

There is much known about these flowers since they are sought after year after year by gardeners from all around. The florets are small sometimes being no bigger than your thumbnail, and sometimes as large as a golf ball. Other species of phlox not only grow differently, but can get much taller than their creeping cousins. The creeping variety may get no taller than six to eight inches.

A good mixture of loam and peat moss in with rich soil will keep this phlox growing well. Growing these flowers as a border to a garden or lawn is commonplace across the U.S. Some people like to grow them in pots along a wall or on the top ledge of their fence. Others like to have them in flower boxes near their windows. However you choose to plant them make sure they have plenty of sun.

Sources:
Personal Experience,
http://www.denverplants.com/perennials/html/phlox_redwing.htm,
http://www.groundcover.com/info/phlox.html