To the delight of the garden owner, the phlox naturally blooms very colorfully. But with the right care you can help it to flower particularly lushly, extend the flowering period or even stimulate a second flowering.
Always cut off faded inflorescences immediately
While your phlox is blooming, you should fertilize it regularly, it needs a lot of nutrients at this time. After flowering, you can reduce the amount of fertilizer again. Cut off faded flowers as soon as possible. This not only looks nicer, it is also good for the plant.
Can phlox bloom twice?
If there is enough time, phlox can bloom twice a year. However, this requires the right climate or weather. When summer is almost over, there is hardly enough time for a second bloom. You will therefore rarely be successful with late-flowering varieties of phlox.
Spring or early summer flowering varieties such as the herbaceous meadow phlox (Phlox maculata) or the ground covering varieties carpet phlox (Phlox subulata) and cushion phlox (Phlox douglaasi) have the best chance of budding again. To do this, cut off the faded shoots of the plants. This pruning encourages the phlox to flower again.
You can also extend the flowering period of the late-blooming phlox. Before budding or flowering, cut back some shoots to about one-third to two-thirds of their original length. While the first buds of the other shoots open, these shoots will first grow back and then flower accordingly later.
The essentials in brief:
- Cut off faded flowers immediately
- Cut back some shoots before flowering
- Fertilize regularly during flowering
tips and tricks
Clever pruning can prolong the flowering period of your phlox or encourage a second flowering.