PERENNIAL PHLOXES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 92, 20 April 1939, Page 25

PERENNIAL PHLOXES

These are among the best of herbaceous perennials, and when well grown and cared for are well worth any trouble they require. To grow these plants to perfection it is not sufficient merely to plant a few specimens and await results without further thought or attention to the requirements of the plants. Phloxes suffer severely during periods of drought, especially those which have been planted in the spring, and have not had time to become really established.

Plant, for preference, in the autumn in deep, rich, well-drained, and fairly heavy loam. A good dressing of lime added to the soil during preparation will be of benefit. Young plants should be reduced to two, or at most three, stems, each of which should be staked separately. Established clumps should also have the flowering stems reduced, much in the same way as Michaelmas daisies. Never let the plants suffer from lack of moisture at the roots, and the result in fine trusses of bloom will be all that cai} be desired. A good top-dressing of leaf mould or manure each year after the plants have done flowering and when the old stems have been removed will give .them added vigour.

When the clumps become too crowded they should be lifted in the autumn and divided, and the strongest of the young growths—usually found on the outside of the clumps—selected for replanting. If they are to be planted in the same plot as originally the ground must be reconditioned by the addition of manure and if possible some fresh soil.