How to Space Creeping Phlox
Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) is a perennial, low-growing plant used as a ground cover in shady woodland gardens and borders. Grown as a singular plant, each forms a small sprawling mat topped by light blue-violet flowers in early to mid-spring. When planted in groups, they sprawl their stems each year to create a much larger, wider-spreading foliage carpet. Appropriate spacing reduces the initial number of plants to purchase and lessens the need for annual trimming maintenance. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Instructions
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Purchase containerized creeping phlox plants from a local nursery or mail-order catalog. The size of the plant purchased only determines the length of time needed for the plant to reach its mature size of 6 to 8 inches tall by 16 to 24 inches wide. Smaller plants take slightly more time, larger ones, less time.
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Place the plants atop the ground in the area you wish to plant them. Move them around while still in their pots as you determine their spacing before digging the holes.
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Move plants so that center-to-center of the pots are 12 to 18 inches apart based on the guidance of a small ruler. Keep plants 10 to 12 inches away from sidewalks, lawn edges or other low-growing plants in the garden bed that you don't want the stems of the creeping phlox to overrun.
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Decrease the center-to-center distance of the plants if a dense ground-cover effect is wanted quickly. Increase this distance between plants if fewer plants are needed to cover a large area or bare soil is desired between plants once they reach maturity.
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Tips & Warnings
Creeping phlox will reseed itself each year, resulting in new seedlings germinating and growing in any bare soil gaps between plants. This can reduce the number of plants purchased initially if you don't mind waiting 2 or 3 years for fewer plants to flower and drop seed and spread into a mat naturally.
