Features of cultivation of the most popular kinds of Phlox, varieties and reproduction

Care and breeding

The Phlox divaricata, or as it’s also called, is from North America and Canada, where it grows in forests, along streams and on gentle mountain slopes, which are covered in spring with magnificent flowering carpets in all shades of blue, white or lilac.

Ph. Subulata is one of the most popular spring-flowering perennial soil-covering plants. The height of the miniature species is only 10-15 cm. Stems are densely covered with bright green hard leaves resembling needles, for which the species got its name. The root system is located almost on the soil surface.

 Phlox drummonda. Planting and maintenance

Phlox drummondii is grown as a year old under our climate conditions. The plant is a compact and lush shrub from 10 to 50 cm in height, depending on the selected variety. This species is valued by gardeners for its impressive star-shaped bright flowers in all shades of red, purple, yellow, white and pink, often combined with a pattern of strokes, spots, “eyes” and stars in the centre. Flowering lasts from early June until the autumn frosts.

Flox is snowy. Cultivation, planting and multiplication

The Phlox genus has about 60 species of beautifully blooming perennial plants. The name of the genus is translated from Greek as “fire, flame”. One of the most beloved species by gardeners is Phlox paniculata, which can probably be found in every garden. The plant comes from wet forests in eastern North America. It is between 40 and 150 cm high, depending on the variety. As it grows, it creates curtains, sometimes up to one meter in diameter.

Stokesia (Stokesia) from the family of Astrovs is a perennial unpretentious plant from North America, which is successfully used in floral arrangements of almost any style of landscape design.

Leaves of culture depending on a kind oval or lanceolate. The height of the plant is within 30-50 cm. It blooms at the beginning or middle of summer and continues to flower until the frost. Flowers are very similar to cornflowers and miniature asters. Depending on the variety, they may be white, creamy, pink, yellow, blue or purple.

Popular varieties of Stokesia: “Blue Danube”, white and yellow “Mary Gregory”, purple and pink “Honeysong Purple”, intense blue “Blue Star”, white “Alba”.

Tips for care

Stokesia is easily grown in almost any well-drained soil. It tolerates midday but likes a lot of sunshine, so choose a place that is well lit. Prefers moderately damp soils, but has surprisingly good drought tolerance. Excess moisture in winter is the main cause of this plant’s death, so good water permeability is important.

Stokesia planting

The plant is winter resistant, but appreciates winter mulch in a cold climate. Seasonal care is limited to weeding, watering and removal of flowers to stimulate long flowering. In late autumn, the dried out stems are cut back.

Reproduction

Reproduces by seeds and bush division. The last method is the best. The procedure is done in spring or autumn after flowering. In addition, to rejuvenate the plantations is useful to conduct the division every 3-4 years.

Seeds are sown into wet peat at the end of winter. After the appearance of 3-4 leaves, seedlings are dipped and planted in separate pots. Planting of sluice in the open ground is done after the last frosts.

Yucca of the Agave family comes from subtropical and tropical regions of America. Due to the high frost resistance in the open air, Yucca filamentosa was successfully grown, which decorated palace gardens and parks in the late 19th century.

Despite its tropical origins, the yucca is easy to plant and care for, as the exotic beauty has adapted perfectly to the midland climate.

Another popular species, the glorious yucca, is common in warmer areas as it is not very winter resistant.

The most decorative part of the plant is the impressive beauty of large bell-shaped inflorescences of white, pink or cream color on high strong pedicels, sometimes reaching 1.5-2 meters in height. Flowering occurs in mid July or in August.

Under favorable conditions, 80 to 100 flowers can blossom on a single strong peduncle. The spectacle is really impressive!

With a blue hue, evergreen, hard and narrow leaves up to 50-70 cm in length are assembled into a dense sheet rosette. A characteristic feature of the Yucca filamentosa species are long thin fibers that hang at the edges of the leaf plates. The variety of garden yucca “Variegata” has a white fringe.

The variety “Light edge” is characterized by a small size, its leaves are creamy white at the edges. Another variety is the spectacular “Color Guard”, where, under the influence of low temperatures, the leaf edges become pink. Powerful pedicels appear in June.

Peculiarities of care

The garden yucca is not afraid of drought or heat. The most important enemy of the exotic beauty is stagnation of water in the soil.

Low substrate humidity is vital for wintering plants. Despite good frost resistance in areas with poor drainage, plants often rot and can freeze. It is therefore advisable to plant the crop in a slightly elevated position.

Yucca filamentosa  

The soil must be water permeable and loose. Sand and a drainage layer of broken bricks, expanded clay or pebbles should be added to the heavy substrate. Poor soils are enriched with humus and compost taken in equal parts.

Considering the origin of the crop, you should choose a place for planting yucca sunny, protected from strong winds. Lack of sunlight affects flowering, the trunk is pulled out and the leaf rosette loses its density, the plant slowly degenerates.

Watering is infrequent and only during drought. Water under the root of the plant with warm water, making sure that no water gets on the leaves. The lack of moisture is signaled by the withering of the leaves.

Care for the garden yucca after planting is regular weeding and loosening of the soil. The procedure enriches the soil with oxygen and prevents the development of fungal diseases. After flowering, the flower-breeds are cut off. In snowless winters the plantings are covered with stubble.

Reproduction

Garden yucca is easily multiplied by division of large specimens. The procedure is performed in spring.  It is desirable to treat the roots with fungicide. Cranberries are planted in the ground without deepening the neck of the plant, which should be at ground level. After planting, water the yucca well in the garden. In one place, the plant can grow for 15-20 years.

Geum, belonging to the family of rose-colored, has about 50 species. About 20 of them are used in landscape design.

In natural conditions, plants grow on forest edges, near rivers and reservoirs. People call it Benedict grass, undergrowth, cloves and comb.

Geum is a herbaceous rhizome perennial. The height of the stems depends on the species, ranging from 15 cm to 70. Leaves are triple-perist, wrinkled, rich green, formed by two types: root and stem.

The first ones are large in size, long petioles, forming a compact socket. The second are almost sitting, the next, on top of the whole.

Flowers are small (about 3 cm), cup-shaped, simple or terry, more often single, less often collected in umbrella or petrified inflorescences. Color is bright yellow, pink, orange, red.

Many species bloom twice in a season, the first time in May-July and again in autumn. The fruit is a lot of nuts. Seeds with an elongated, bent tail at the end.

Cultivation and care

Geums prefer sunny areas, but can also grow in the shade. Sour soils are badly tolerated. In this case, the problem can be solved by applying dolomite flour. Sand is also desirable to improve drainage. The frost resistance of almost all species is high, except for hybrid gravitas and terry flower varieties, which require little shelter, can be done with stubble.

They are unpretentious in care. In heat, root irrigation is required. During the season, it is desirable to feed several times. Withering flowers should be removed regularly in order to prolong flowering and keep the plant species tidy.

Reproduction

Reproduce by dividing the bushes and seeds. In the first variant, the procedure can be performed both at the beginning of vegetation and after flowering, separating daughter rosettes with a piece of rhizome. Plant optimally in 30 cm increments, as they grow quickly. The seeds can be sown in late autumn or spring directly into the ground. A seedling option is also possible. Young plants flower in their second year.