3 Years Later: Lessons Learned after Planting Creeping Phlox.
Creeping Phlox is a gorgeous spring and summer perennial, especially in emerald blue. However, after planting creeping phlox in different areas of the garden, we learned (1) what works best to get those cascading, creeping blooms and (2) what stunts their growth. The biggest tip we have is to give it your all the first year! This doesn’t mean creeping phlox can’t be saved a year after planting, they will reliably bounce back, but the first year is crucial for establishing strong year after year development. Getting it right the first year will make it much easier for these to spread in abundance.
So, here is what to do & what to avoid when it comes to creeping phlox:
- Don’t fuss over the winter: There are different takes on this, but we have found that when we leave our creeping phlox alone over the winter, they are fine. Even with the snow. When we over fuss or try to winterize the creeping phlox, we have found our blooms to come back less abundant the following spring.
- Find partial shade: In our experience, creeping phlox prefer partial shade as opposed to full sun. There are sources out there that may recommend full sun, but we have planted creeping phlox in both full sun and partial shade areas and the ones in partial shade by far fare much better.
- Don’t over water: Although it is important to make sure creeping phlox get enough watering, do not over water. Pay attention to how much rain you are getting in the spring season to determine how often you need to take out the watering can. Creeping phlox need to be watered once to twice a week. They prefer moist soil but definitely avoid getting the area soggy.
- Mulch is a must: Can’t say this enough! Creeping phlox will do better in a garden bed, surrounded by mulch or in raised garden planters. We have planted creeping phlox without generous mulch and most of these get overcome by the surrounding grass or weeds (no matter how much we try to get the weeds out!) They will still come back next spring, but not nearly as strong. A thick layer of mulch surrounding the creeping phlox will help them grow quickly and full. When we mulch creeping phlox, we rarely find ourselves needing to weed at all! This is especially essential the first year. We have tried adding mulch to creeping phlox during the second year (in an effort to save them). Although this second-time-around effort helped somewhat, it was much harder to strengthen the creeping phlox and allow them to spread past an inch.
- Morning Sun Love: We have found that creeping phlox love the morning sun (as opposed to the afternoon), so take this into consideration when planting. If possible, choose to area where the phlox can cascade over an edge. Whether this is near a wall or over the side of a planter, you can keep the phlox contained in a narrow garden bed and enjoy the beauty of the ground covering overflow.