Meadow phlox

Meadow phlox: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright clump about 90 cm tall and 45 cm wide, with sturdy, sparsely branched stems.

Stems

Green with small purple-red spots or streaks, mainly towards the base; this gives the plant its name.

Leaves

Narrowly lance-shaped, glossy dark green and arranged in opposite pairs along the stem.

Flowers

Elongated, cylindrical panicles of tubular flowers with five flat lobes, from June to August.

Scent

Sweet and spicy, strongest on warm, still days.

Roots

A fibrous rootstock that slowly widens into a broad clump; the plant does not run.

Flowering: June–August · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• A long flowering season from June to August, with a sweet, spicy scent.
• Less prone to powdery mildew than border phlox: the glossy leaves stay healthy for longer.
• A magnet for butterflies, moths and bumblebees, whose long tongues reach the nectar.
• A fine cut flower: the cylindrical panicles last well in a vase and scent the room.
• Happy in moist soil, where many other summer flowers struggle.
• Sturdy stems that rarely need staking.

Meadow phlox: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers most freely in full sun, as long as the soil stays moist.
• Rich, humus-rich loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• Moist to wet: in the wild it grows in wet meadows and along streams, and it dislikes drought.
• An open spot with some air movement keeps the foliage healthy.
• Plant 40–45 cm apart, ideally in groups of three to five.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.9 m tall, 0.45 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Daylily: Flowers at the same time and likes the same rich, moist soil.
• Purple loosestrife: Upright purple-pink spikes beside the rounded panicles, even in wet ground.
• Meadowsweet: Creamy plumes for a wet border with a natural look.
• Red bistort: Persicaria amplexicaulis flowers from July until the frosts and takes over after the phlox.
• Siberian iris: Narrow, upright leaves and flowers in May–June, before the phlox begins.

Meadow phlox: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant from March to May or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Loosen the soil deeply and work in a few spadefuls of compost or well-rotted manure.
3. Dig a hole well larger than the pot and set the plant at the same depth as it was in its pot.
4. Leave 40–45 cm between plants so that air can move between the clumps.
5. Firm the soil well and water in thoroughly straight away.
6. Spread a mulch of compost or leaf mould around the plants to keep the soil moist.

Care

Watering

Water generously at the base in dry spells, preferably in the morning. Drought makes the leaves droop and encourages mildew.

Feeding

Give compost or an organic fertiliser in March–April: phlox is a hungry plant.

Mulching

A layer of compost or leaf mould each spring keeps the roots cool and moist.

Deadheading

Cut faded panicles back to just above a leaf: smaller side panicles often follow.

Dividing

Divide every 3–4 years, when the centre of the clump becomes bare or flowering declines.

Tip: In dry summers, give phlox too much water rather than too little and mulch the soil: a plant that never dries out flowers for longer and suffers far less from mildew.

Meadow phlox: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: Phlox needs hardly any pruning. Cut the dead stems down in February–March, before new shoots appear; in summer, simply remove the faded panicles.

How:

• In late winter, cut the old, dry stems back to 5–10 cm above the ground.
• After the first flush, cut faded panicles back to above a leaf or side shoot: this often gives a second, smaller flush.
• If the clump is very dense, remove a few weak stems at the base in April: better air flow means less mildew.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or September–October, lift the clump and split it with a spade into pieces with a few shoots each. Replant straight away in improved soil.

Root cuttings

In winter, lay pieces of root about 5 cm long in a pot of gritty cutting compost and cover them thinly. This gives plants free of stem eelworm.

Basal cuttings

In April, take young shoots of 5–8 cm from the base and root them in moist cutting compost under plastic.

Meadow phlox: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The plant dies back above ground and reshoots from the rootstock in spring.
• In a pot: stand it in a sheltered spot against a wall and do not let the compost dry out or stay sodden.

Diseases and pests

• Powdery mildew: A white, powdery coating on the leaves in late summer. Less common than on border phlox; prevent it with enough water, space between plants and thinning of the stems.
• Stem eelworm: Narrow, curled leaves at the tips and swollen, splitting stems. Dig up affected plants, put them in the household waste and propagate healthy plants from root cuttings.
• Slugs: They eat the young shoots in spring. Pick them off in the evening and clear hiding places around the clump.
• Red spider mite: Dull, finely mottled leaves in hot, dry weather. Water well and mist the foliage now and then.

Through the year

• January: Rest. Root cuttings can be taken.
• February: Take root cuttings. Old stems can be cut down.
• March: Cut down old stems. Add compost. Plant and divide.
• April: Plant. Mulch. Take basal cuttings. Watch for slugs.
• May: Plant. Thin weak stems. Water in dry spells.
• June: Flowering begins. Water in dry spells.
• July: Full flower. Cut stems for the vase. Deadhead faded panicles.
• August: Last flowers. Water. Watch for mildew.
• September: Plant and divide.
• October: Plant. Top growth dies back.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The name Phlox comes from the Greek word for ‘flame’, after the bright flower colours of some species.
• Maculata means ‘spotted’ and refers to the purple flecks on the stems.
• The flowers have a long, narrow tube: mainly butterflies, moths and long-tongued bumblebees can reach the nectar.