Hi, blooma!
Very lovely phlox. They do get ugly in the center but at that time I generally lift a big chunk and move it.
creeping phlox
Gorgeous, kosk. Those are some fortunate kids! I love aubrieta too, and successfully started them from seed years back to get mixed colors. I think the ones I have now, all "blue" (lavender or that brilliant purple), are from Bluestone and the little Jeepers Creepers groundcover/alpine pots at local nurseries.
Is that Nepeta in bunches all over the slope? I have "Walker's Low" here (Bluestone threepack, years ago). It's such a trouper, but I dislike the way it smells when the leaves or stems are bruised -- which happens all the time here because it needs to be ripped out in swathes every year to keep it from overrunning everything else. Do different varieties of Nepeta smell different (as with Agastache)?
blomma, Candy Stripe is my favorite too. I've tried others, but always found myself wishing they were Candy Stripe instead of white or pink.
Would someone please tell me a good mail order firm that will sell more than one color of creeping phlox?
Dawnsharon---yes, that is Nepeta on the slope. It intermingles with a lot of groundcover roses through the summer. (roses were barely in bloom in the pic). It is 'Walker's Low' variety also. I put it in, mistakenly thinking it would be "low" and small, which it is not. But I like the effect anyway. I'm not sure if different varieties of Nepeta have different smells or not.....It blooms all June/July. Starts to look less colorful at the end of July, so I cut it all the way back and get a second bloom mid-Aug through Sept.
Thanks, kosk. I rooted out as much Nepeta as I could where it was overrunning an azalea, so I expect it'll take a year or two to restore itself -- the Nepeta, not the azalea, which I should probably replace.
I wish I had come over here sooner and found some of these great photos. A lot of people don't know about the wonders of Creeping Phlox. ♥ We had to keep the articles to a certain length otherwise I would have added lots more photos. But one picture is worth a thousand words.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3617/
Stunning photos.
Cradlew...go look at bluestone.com. Love their plants. They sell in 3 packs usually.
Carole...you got my vote, thanks so much for the article. (you sure are brave to enter, lol)
This message was edited Mar 14, 2012 8:40 PM
I just voted for Carole's article. It's a good one!
Thank you so much, Kathy and Judy. Much appreciated. Aren't creeping phlox the best?
Yes they are, mine happen to be at my daughter's garden. Maybe I should get some planted here this year. I also want some of that phlox divaricata.
Great photo, Kathy!
She does take great photos of some wonderful plants. ♥
Thanks gals....but..I'm having the darnest time trying to download new photos this last year. Bought new thingy and still haven't figured it out yet, very disappointing, they even sold me a new gadget and that hasn't worked yet too. I'm going to take my laptop back in and have them do it for me, again!!
pix: unknown wildflower
that resembles a penstemon... but i could be wrong.
I think you might be right. :)
Not penstemon, I do have several of those too tho. I'll take photos again this spring when things begin blooming, I got all sorts of things out in the feild. Even have Indian Paint brush, mine is orange, (only a few plants, those are truely wild and only grow where they find a symbiotic relationship). Got asters, orange penstemon, yucca, clover, wild roses by the acre, yarrow, mertensia, cacti, and a bunch of ???. Maybe by then I'll have that pix downloading fixed, god I hope. LOL.
pix: mertensia (blue bells) and the above unknown
pix: mertensia
pix: ratibida columnifer
pix: starting right top: Wild sunflowers that I never planted, daisy, penstemon (Rocky Mountain Blue, which does grow wild, this one I bought tho, lavendula, veronica, malva
This message was edited Mar 20, 2012 5:40 PM
Kosk0025..those purple plants are "Walker's Low" nepeta? They are beautiful! I have the pink creeping phlox and emerald blue but my Emerald blue seems to be a lighter blue than those you have..I love yours..never seen any phlox that deep blue. They are beautiful!
Do they produce seeds and if they do, do you gather them and sow them another time of the year? What's Aubrieta?
Oh thanks, Pippi. The blue plants are not creeping phlox. They are Lithodora 'Grace Ward'. They are common around here, but they struggle if you have any consistent temps below 25 degrees. They are the bluest blue of any plant I've ever seen. Aubrieta is my favorite spring bloomer. Brilliant deep purple. Forms mounds up to 18 inches x 18 inches. Also common around here---seen spilling over rock walls, that sort of thing. It blooms for at least 2 months here, and starts blooming earlier than both Lithodora and creeping phlox.
Pic is my slope yesterday. You can see I added more little clumps of aubrieta this year. I couldn't find more of the 'Dr Mules' variety, so this is a different variety. My Lithodora is just starting to bloom, and those mounds will be covered in blue flowers probably next week.
Close up of the aubrieta
Woodspirit..how much Black Kow and bone meal would you say that you apply to each plant? Do you work it into the soil? When do you apply these things? I don't believe I've seen Black Kow in our area but will look. I need to clean out the cabinets where our gardening products are kept. I know some of them may not be any good now..don't these things have expiration dates on them?
Kosk0025...that Lithodora "Grace Ward" looks like it's much more of a hardier plant than phlox subulata..which is fern like and dainty. Do you find it is a slow grower? Monrovia website I think mentions that. How old would you say some of your "Grace Ward" are? Have you divided any of them yet? Do they produce seeds that you can collect or does it reseed like columbines or larkspurs or other plants?
Is it a plant that is geared for your gardening zone only?
It is always nice to see pictures of other people's flowerbeds, it gives you not only fresh ideas but education from experienced gardeners. I know different areas of the country grow different plants..I've always wanted to try "Walker's Low" nepeta..since I saw it planted by Carolyn Aiken of the blog called Aiken's House and garden..Carolyn has a lot of it in her flower gardens and it is just beautiful. She says when it starts getting shabby, she sheers it back for more blooms later. Carolyn's gardens are breath taking up in Prince Edward Island, Canada.. a town I think I'd love to visit. If you are not familiar with her blog...check it out. You'll be meserized! What a delightful person she is too. She not only is an experienced gardener, but a great photographer and decorator.
The Lithodora has foliage very similar to rosemary---thickish dark green leaves. It is supposed to remain evergreen. If it gets cold enough that you lose the foliage, you will lose the plant. I think the creeping phlox is much hardier. It dies back like a regular perennial. I lost a couple Lithadora a few years ago when we had a week of temps ranging from 15-25 degrees (rare here) and clear skies/no snow. In my experience it grows very fast.....3 and 1/2 inch pots = 24x24 inch mounds in 2-3 years. Monrovia is located about 15-20 miles from my house. The nursery industry is huge in Oregon.
I'm a seed saver/lover.....I don't think Lithodora is easy to grow from seed....I'll take a look this year to see if it forms seeds. It definitely doesn't self sow.
The lithodora in this pic from last year is now twice this size....in fact, that path area is now covered. (Pic is last year---my snowball viburnum are not yet blooming this year).
Thanks for the tip to look at Carolyn Aiken's blog---sounds great! Going to check it out right now.
I just pulled out my Bluestone perennials Spring 2012 catalog and found the Lithodora "Grace Ward" plants..It would go great in the sunroom flower bed, and that color is fantastic. Thanks for showing us your pictures..Got to have it this year or next..I love all the inspiration we get from seeing other people's photos of their flower beds.
that was always my favorite catalog ... total eye candy.
Same lithodora one year later. (took this pic this morning).
I know the perfect place for this plant. That plant grew that much in a year's time? Wow! The color is so bright and really stands out.