Tall Phlox offers an array of colors during the summer months. This plant can bloom for six weeks or longer. Some start to bloom in mid-summer, while others do not begin until late in August. Colors include white, red, purple, lavender, rose, and pink. Some even blend two colors with the center of another color. The flowers have five lobes and grow in clumps at the top of the plant.
Tall Phlox Reaches Up to 4 feet Tall
The plants grow from 2 to 4 feet upright on a stiff stem. Their leaves are deep green and lance-shaped. When the stems on the plant are approximately six inches up, pinch off all but five or six of them and the tips of these stems. This will permit the plant to develop more giant clumps of blooms.
Where To Plant Tall Phlox
Tall Phlox flourishes in areas that receive full sun but grows in lightly shaded spots as well. Too much shade prevents the plants from producing as many blooms, and the quality of the blooms suffers. They should not be grown under trees or near large hedges. Competition for nutrients and moisture from the soil can cause a problem for them.
Soil Type Preferred For Tall Phlox
These plants will do well when planted in areas with good drainage and watered regularly. It is best to water the soil around the plant rather than the plant itself. This helps to prevent disease. Fertilizer is recommended in the spring as new growth appears. Mulch will help keep the soil around the plant cool and retain moisture.
Tall Phlox grows from the District of Columbia to the panhandle of Florida. When the blooms start to fade, removing them will help keep the blooms the color initially chosen. After the first blooms are gone, fertilizing again can get them to bloom twice.