Cross-leaved Phlox Phlox paniculata
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- FLOCKS pan-ik-you-LAY-tah
- Description
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Phlox paniculata is an erect herbaceous perennial that may grow 2 to 4 feet tall and is clump-forming. Flowers come in various colors and bloom mid-summer to mid-fall. It mixes well with other perennials, attracts hummingbirds, and is a good selection for a bird garden. This popular flower has escaped gardens and naturalized into areas beyond its original native range.
Phlox paniculata prefers sun to partial shade and moist, fertile, and well-drained soils. Good air circulation (adequate spacing and thinning of stems as needed) will help combat powdery mildew. Overhead watering should be avoided. Phlox needs to be watered in dry summers and mulched to keep the root zone cool. Removing faded flower panicles will prolong blooming and prevent self-seeding as cultivars do not come true from seed.
In winter, plants should be cut to the ground and removed from the garden in order to minimize possible powdery mildew infection for the following season. This plant has numerous pest and disease problems and is not always an easy plant to grow well. Phlox bugs, powdery mildew, and root rot can be serious problems. Spider mites can also be a problem, particularly in hot, dry conditions. Taller stems may need staking.
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Floricyle Dry Stream Bed Garden in Cabarrus County Pollinator Garden in Full Sun Pollinator Garden in Partial Shade Backyard Patio Corneille Bryan Native Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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'David'
- 'Delta Snow'
White flowers with a soft pink center - 'Jeana'
Lavender-pink fragrant flowers with a long bloom period - 'Lord Clayton'
Bright magenta-red flowers
White flowers 'David's Lavender'
Lavender flowers - 'Delta Snow'
- 'David', 'David's Lavender', 'Delta Snow', 'Jeana', 'Lord Clayton'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
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'David'
- 'Delta Snow'
White flowers with a soft pink center - 'Jeana'
Lavender-pink fragrant flowers with a long bloom period - 'Lord Clayton'
Bright magenta-red flowers
White flowers 'David's Lavender'
Lavender flowers - 'Delta Snow'
- 'David', 'David's Lavender', 'Delta Snow', 'Jeana', 'Lord Clayton'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Phlox
- Species:
- paniculata
- Family:
- Polemoniaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Leaf extract has been used as a laxative and for treating boils.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- New York to Iowa south to Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- It attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Colorful
- Defines Paths
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Wildflower
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Variegated
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Good Cut
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Garden phlox has fragrant, tubular, pink-purple, blue to lavender to purple to white florets (to 3/4” diameter) that are densely packed in large, tiered, domed terminal clusters (to 6-8"). Florets have a long corolla tube and five flat petal-like lobes. The calyx is tubular, ribbed, with 5 lobes, and is subulate. The corolla is salverform and 5-lobed. Flowers bloom from July to August.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Lanceolate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Deep green leaves are 4-6 inches long with conspicuous veins and are opposite, acute, cuneate, simple, pointed. The leaves are ovate to elliptic to lanceolate. The veins branch off the center vein then curve toward the tip of the leaf near the edge and connect with the next vein, forming what appears to be a vein along the edge of the leaf. Upper leaves are subsessile to clasping.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stems are stiff and erect.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Patio
- Recreational Play Area
- Walkways
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Fire
