A favorite wildflower planting, annual phlox comes in a variety of colors, including white, pink, red, blue, lavender and even yellow. It's a good plant for sunny spots with loose, informal plantings. Dwarf types are just 6 to 8 inches tall, while others reach 15 to 18 inches. This plant thrives in zones 2-11 of the U.S.D.A Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Start annual phlox indoors from seed - you'll have the best selection of color with seeds.
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Select a suitable site for planting. Annual phlox loves full sun with average, well-drained soil and moderate water.
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Pinch off any blooms from seedlings before you plant to direct growth into strong roots.
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Plant annual phlox seedlings 4 to 6 inches apart in early spring once nighttime temperatures are regularly above 35 degrees.
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Prepare the bed by working in a little compost or sphagnum peat moss.
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Mulch with dried grass clippings, pine needles, wood chips or another organic material.
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Water in the mornings, taking care not to spray the leaves, which are prone to disease.
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Pinch off spent blooms to promote longer bloom time.
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Fertilize once every four to six weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer if desired.
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Pull plants out of the garden after the first frost.
Tips & Warnings
Annual phlox is a cool-season annual, which means it does well in early spring, then fades when heat sets in.
Unlike some other forms of phlox, which are perennial and return year after year, annual phlox dies after just one year. However, annual phlox blooms for a longer stretch of the summer than perennial types and may reseed itself.
Annual phlox looks best in a clustered planting of at least one or two dozen phlox plants, preferably mixed in with similar sprawlers such as cosmos, nasturtiums, poppies and coreopsis.
Since annual phlox is a cool-season annual, it may look ragged in hot weather. Keep it well watered and it will probably revive in fall's cooler temperatures.
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