Family: Polemoniaceae
Common name: Phlox, Annual phlox, Drummond’s phlox, Pride-of-Texas, Texas, Belle, Texas Pride
Annual Phlox is a beautiful flowering plant that can instantly transform your garden into a riot of colors and butterflies. They are native to Texas but is now cultivated as ornamental plants all over the world, loved for their beautiful, multi-colored flowers.
Plant Characteristics
Annual phlox plants only grow to a height of 15-45 cm with a branched, bushy stem that keeps the plant compact and rounded. The root system is relatively shallow enabling the plants to draw moisture from a large surface area.
Stems of the Annual phlox are slender and green, covered with fine white hairs. Leaves are ovate with pointed tips and smooth margins, about 2-6 cm long. They are soft and slightly sticky to touch because of the thin, white hairs that cover the surface of the leaves.
When the Annual Phlox plants flower, everything else is thrown into obscurity because of their profusion of bright, beautiful flowers. The flowers are 2-3 cm in diameter with five distinct petals.
They are tubular at the base and flattened at the top. Annual phlox flowers range in color from white, pink, magenta, red, purple, orange, and yellow with similarly-colored or differently-colored center.
Annual phlox plants flower from summer through spring and early fall with lightly fragrant flowers that attract butter, bees, insects, ants, and other pollinators in plenty. These plants are produce small, inconspicuous fruits that contain several seeds that are small and brown.
Gardening Tips
Annual phlox plants thrive in good, direct sunlight and well-drained soil. They cannot grow in water-logged or clayey soil.
These plants are an excellent choice for flower beds, hanging baskets or shallow pots. They cannot be grown indoors, as the plants might become long and leggy without producing flowers.
These plants need regular watering and fertilization especially during the summer months. Deadheading of spent flowers can keep the plant pretty. There is no need to prune since the plants usually grown bushy and compact by themselves.
These plants are named after the Scottish botanist Thomas Drummond who discovered this plant in Texas and sent samples of it to Britain, from where it spread to countries around the world. There are many hybrids and cultivars available for this versatile little plant.
Uses of Phlox plants
Annual phlox plants are primarily grown as ornamentals though they also had some medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine.
They are used in the treatment of indigestion, cramps, stomach disorders, cuts, boils, scorpion stings, aches, cold, and respiratory diseases.
The long flowering season, abundant blooms, and bright, fragrant flowers make them ideal choices for butterfly gardens and nature parks.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds and stem cuttings. Seeds can be sown just after winter and they will germinate in 10-14 days. New plants can also be grown from tender stem cuttings.
Photographed at: Lalbagh gardens, Bangalore
