anyone try crossing phlox??

I have spent several days studying the phlox's anatomy and have finally figured out where the stamens, anthers and stigmas are. So now I'm going to try it, even though all I have are two old varieties and an invasive wild one. This AM I was pulling apart a blossom and realized that the pistil and stigma were left, but the flower was emasculated so I think all I will have to do is dissect a flower from another clump and use the anthers. I can't see how you could mark one flower so maybe use a whole flower head and attempt to pollinate every flower in it. Now all I have to learn is how to harvest, germinate and grow the seed---I may get bored before I get there. I did manage to get seeds from Hemerocallis minor and H flava this month so I can play with them for a time. Too much rain caused deformed seeds though, so we shall see.-------------------------------------------------------Weedy

Hi Weedy,

Just out of curiosity, what species of Phlox are you planning to breed? According to Wikipedia, there are 67 species of Phlox, so there are a lot to pick from, and probably some opportunities to make inter-species crosses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlox

About 20 years ago I became interested in Phlox drummondii, because the cultivar "Twinkle Star" looked so good in my flower beds.

http://www.google.com/search?q=phlox+drummondii+twinkle+star&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=o6sCUreUEqmqyAHL7oF4&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=730

I purchased several varieties of annual phlox to cross with Twinkle Star, in hopes of getting much larger plants and flowers. One quaint variety was "Phlox of Sheep".

http://www.google.com/search?q=phlox+drummondii+phlox+of+sheep&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OqECUorWDuXEyQH_z4H4Dg&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=730

I think it was Thompson & Morgan that I purchased my "Phlox of Sheep" from.

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/half-hardy-annual-seeds/phlox-drummondii-phlox-of-sheep/7410TM

My project to cross Phlox of Sheep with Twinkle Star taught me that I didn't like stooping over to cross-pollinate plants that grew only a few inches tall. I shifted to zinnias because the plants and flowers were much taller and larger, and basically easier to work with. But best wishes to you with your Phlox project. I think there are a lot of opportunities there. I would be delighted to get a zinnia bloom that looked like Twinkle Star.

ZM

They are perennial phlox, probably paniculata??Almost done blooming, now with about twenty seed pods.------------------Weedy

Ended up with about twenty ripe seeds. I suspect they will have to be stratified or winter sowed and I will have to live until I'm eighty to see them bloom. We shall see!------------------Weedy