Have Fun With Phlox

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Those glowing carpets of little pink and blue and white flowers you see this time of year are likely creeping phlox.  Also known as 'Moss pink,' Phlox subulata is a native plant that's easy to grow around here.  And this is a perfect time to plant it, a small pot will grow to cover several square feet over time.  The fabulous flowers in luminescent colors cover the ground like a thick shag rug, perfect in the front of flowerbeds, among rock gardens, on a bank, over a low wall, or along a path of stepping stones. 

Phlox isn't fussy about soil, doesn't need fertilizer, loves hot sun, and is very drought tolerant.  After flowering, you can pinch phlox back to keep plants dense and divide large older patches  - that keeps the plant healthy and it gives you lots of little plants to put in other places. 

Phlox attracts butterflies and its dense habit helps crowd out weeds too.   So, why not get rid of some grass in places that are a pain to mow anyway and replace it with our carefree, native creeping phlox?