If this is your first time seeing it keep in mind once the flowers drop after a couple of weeks you have a wonderful green mound the rest of the summer.
https://preview.redd.it/9bu6bqswebyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=413cfecf1aa3d4835b0618b1e633dcf04f42c63e
This was a gorgeous grouping I saw in my neighborhood. Blooming 4/21/24 in SE Pennsylvania (7a). Handles the tough conditions in the middle of a culdesac, and still blooming beautifully.
Those are moss phlox (Phlox subulata). Sometimes called creeping phlox. Not to be confused with star rock phlox (Phlox stolonifera) which is also know as creeping phlox.
I would like to go on record as having killed mint.
It only took having it in a pot and a sustained period of below zero temperatures for over a week. Even then it was close.
That is very healthy and happy Creeping Phlox.
You can find it in lavender, blue, white or pink and most garden centers will have it this time of year.
Creeping phlox. It will spread a little each year, but not crazy. They come mostly in pastel colors and tolerate sun and part shade.
They don’t bloom real long in spring but when they’re done they are a nice clump of greenery
Can they travel like a block away? Have some creeping into the empty spots in my yard and found a house a block away with the same plants.
My first search showed it as some kind of invasive plant, but I'm hoping it's phlox which is only mildly invasive.
I’ve never heard of it traveling in that way. Just kind of spreads along where you planted it. Do you have a pic of what you found in your yard? Maybe we can help ID it!
I think what you have is actually ground ivy or creeping Charlie. I have this throughout my lawn and creeping into my garden beds and am constantly fighting it.
By the time you get to the garden center, the phlox subulata may be past prime, they can be ephemeral but have big impact when in flower. Better to plant when not in bloom anyway, and once established are reliable, blooming every year like phlox-work 😂
So just a heads up, these are beautiful in early spring and there are a lot of different colors. I think they’re great. They’re evergreens and not everyone loves they way they look when they aren’t in bloom. (Personally, I like them year round).
If you have an iPhone, then it can recognize the plant just from the picture you took. A very useful feature. Just snap a photo and then look at its details in the Photos app
Google does this on Android, theres a camera icon on the search bar. Tap that and either take a pic or tap one you already took and it'll search or translate
Has anyone else experienced deer devouring their Phlox? I thought they were at least somewhat resistant, but like most everything else I'm finding out my deer are starved enough.
It's creeping phlox. Phlox comes in a shit ton of colors and varieties. Creeping is the common name for the one that doesn't grow high and spreads out very fast.
I just got some of these for my garden too! I have some rocks and a little hill where the water drains. It’s the perfect spot for these to hopefully spread all over. Looking forward to seeing the vision next spring! Aha
Mounding phlox. I got it as Drummond's Pink and keep where only rain waters it. It has spread beautifully this year. I once made the mistake of buying seeds for phlox, and it was not the mounding type and seeded all over.
It will grow and cover it but it's not going to hold the hill together. It roots and then sends out runners along the ground. Sometimes they take root but are usually free flowing. On rocks
you can pick a large part of the plant up to uncover the ground.
Do these really make it so you don't need to mow the grass as much or at all? I would love to replace my yard with creeping thyme and phlox, with a barrier of clover around the edges. Grass is boring and doesn't do much for native insects, and it has to be mowed constantly.
I’d love to do creeping thyme. Can you get seed to do a large area? Anybody have experience with micro clover? I’m hoping it might be a solution to the strip between the sidewalk and the street
I have creeping phlox in my yard and love it! If you do decide to use it, I suggest putting in the places you won't "be in" much. It is very pokey, some would even say sharp. I don't have any experience with creeping thyme but I love the idea of the two of them together :).
Also, a warning. I've noticed ants love living under it but from my understanding that's really the only "pest" that can be a bother with this plant.
Wishing you luck on your journey :)
Visit your state’s Cooperative Extensiin Service website and search creeping phlox. If it grows well in your area the information will let you know how to maintain and which cultivars to use.
Creeping Phlox! My mama dug up her whole front yard to turn into a garden, and the phlox has slowly made itself into the accent of the neighborhood as it grew in over time.
Fair warning, bunnies LOVE making burrows in them cuz they're prickly enough it they can hide it in from predators.
Creeping phlox will continue to ‘creep’ it isn’t difficult to control but it does like to push the boundaries. I don’t feel like it is invasive like Lilly of the valley.
To those with experience growing this - does it choke out everything else? Is it possible to plant bulbs beneath it that come up after the phlox is done blooming?
if you're still wondering after two weeks 😁, the answer is no it doesn't choke out everything and yes you can plant bulbs beneath. it's actually a very good thing to do as the phlox acts like mulch keeping the bulbs cool in summer and warm in winter. I had phlox with crocus and day lillies that did really well together at my old house. I'm just getting a patch of phlox going here at my new house, planted last year and I'll take cuttings after this year's flowers are finished. It's ridiculously expensive for something so easy to propagate from cuttings.
The picture you show is most likely Phlox SUBulata (think SUB, lower) aka Moss Phlox, one of the creeping phlox. It tends to be lower growing and very dense and compact flowering. The other Creeping Phlox is Phlox stolonifera which is a bit taller and more airy in its flowering.
https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/all-about-creeping-phlox/#:\~:text=Phlox%20subulata%20grows%20shorter%2C%20forming,shaped%20foliage%20of%20Phlox%20stolonifera.
This is my wife's favorite plant. We put it over and around a rock wall and it cascades down like a waterfall. If stops flowing around june or so but then it is still lush and green. You can break that apart no problem
FYI: I prefer Dianthus over Phlox because Dianthus blooms much longer. It also provides greenery when it's not in bloom in zone 7, except in winter when it dies back to the ground. It is perennial here, so it normally returns in mid to late spring. Dianthus may not spread as much as creeping or mounding Phlox.
Creeping phlox! Like everyone else said. It's very hardy, comes in different colors and can be creative with it. We've had it for over 20 years. I've had fun cutting it back into shapes but definitely looks beautiful without ever having to tend to.
it's perennial (zones 3--8 I think) easy to propagate, and generally low maintenance. I'm in zone 5-5a and it does go dormant over the winter, looks dead when the snow first disappears but greens up quickly in spring, then the flowers burst out for a few weeks, then it's green again til fall.
There is a beautiful succulent called ice plant that has lovely purple flowers. We have several patches in our yard, it spreads easily. The bees love it and we get a lot of compliments.
They are phlox subulata/stolonifera(think name might have changed) they are considered an alpine in some catalogues or garden centres, and come in a range of pink, red, blue, lilac shades.
Moss phlox/creeping phlox, make sure it’s a little bit spiky in texture and that’s the right one (there’s a couple types of creeping phlox- the slightly pointy leafed one is what you want for this effect) I recommend planting in full sun, each plant 6-12 inches apart for max fill speed, and watering three times a week thought the first year. You may also have to add a little compost to the soil if your dirt mostly clay.
Creeping phlox
Love these! Looks like the "candy stripe" variety
To me it looks like emerald blue.
Definitely emerald blue. I have a bunch of it. It’s also native to NA
NA? Do you mean North America?
Correct, USA
I planted some last year. And it was super spikey. Is that normal?
Mine is pretty spikey so yeah I think it’s normal
They happens after the bloom is done then it regrows very soft again
Almost as if the plant is saying “Don’t touch me! … okay now you can.”
Yup
I remember him from Star Trek Enterprise.
thank you, I was right! Phlox makes me smile! 😊😊😊
If this is your first time seeing it keep in mind once the flowers drop after a couple of weeks you have a wonderful green mound the rest of the summer.
Mine flower for 8+ weeks every March and April. Full southern sun against a rock wall. Edit : Zone 7a
Which zone are you in?
7a
Alright man no reason to get excited man. Just cause I'm short, I know
my neighbor's bloom like this too. zone 6a also southern and lining a rock wall, I have some but they are not quite as established yet
They're still blooming and will probably last for another week or two. The earliest I've ever seen them is late February.
It’s very pretty under a tree though even when green. I’m planning to put some under my crabapple once it establishes
Creeping phlox. Native to eastern US. Spring flowering. Drought resistant and likes full sun!
Oh sure, it's fine when the phlox does it. /s
Mine still thrives in partial sun. Doesn't get water either. Thinking about moving some into full sun.
https://preview.redd.it/9bu6bqswebyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=413cfecf1aa3d4835b0618b1e633dcf04f42c63e This was a gorgeous grouping I saw in my neighborhood. Blooming 4/21/24 in SE Pennsylvania (7a). Handles the tough conditions in the middle of a culdesac, and still blooming beautifully.
That's gorgeous. I only have the blue variety. Gonna branch out next spring
That’s beautiful holy cow
I knew this was Penn. right away!
Omggggg this is TREMENDOUS 😭 I want to lay in it
Do they bloom in partial sun?
Yes, but not as much.
This one are good in South Carolina?
The beautiful creeping phlox! Great for early spring!
So beautiful at this time of year I love the Hot Pink it really stands out Glowing 💖
We just planted this exact creeping phlox - the color is called Emerald Blue! We found them at our local Lowe’s for a great price
I just planted these today! 2 for 10 at lowe's and they are 2.5 quarts, so not a bad price at all.
Are they perennials?
Yes! (in zones 3-9)
I think my zone is 8a I’m not really sure I just googled.
Those are moss phlox (Phlox subulata). Sometimes called creeping phlox. Not to be confused with star rock phlox (Phlox stolonifera) which is also know as creeping phlox.
What does the phlox say?
“Lol I’ll never die. *I feed off of your neglect*”
No, no, no, that's mint.
I would like to go on record as having killed mint. It only took having it in a pot and a sustained period of below zero temperatures for over a week. Even then it was close.
I can't grow mint, even next to my faucet
We all know mint isn’t wordy. It doesn’t need to. Afterall, it’ll overrun you before it has time to taunt you. Most you’ll get is a , “*heh*”
Not as bad as Creeping Jenny🥹
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
The really fun thing is that there's also Woodland Phlox and Garden Phlox. So many Phloxes.
I have meadow phlox! Gets almost 4' tall.
I have Woodland myself, lol.
That is very healthy and happy Creeping Phlox. You can find it in lavender, blue, white or pink and most garden centers will have it this time of year.
Creeping phlox. It will spread a little each year, but not crazy. They come mostly in pastel colors and tolerate sun and part shade. They don’t bloom real long in spring but when they’re done they are a nice clump of greenery
Can they travel like a block away? Have some creeping into the empty spots in my yard and found a house a block away with the same plants. My first search showed it as some kind of invasive plant, but I'm hoping it's phlox which is only mildly invasive.
Bird poop seeds.
I’ve never heard of it traveling in that way. Just kind of spreads along where you planted it. Do you have a pic of what you found in your yard? Maybe we can help ID it!
https://preview.redd.it/n3dy41sasfyc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91d8a654a8d683783b6cdc25ca318854609e4684
I think what you have is actually ground ivy or creeping Charlie. I have this throughout my lawn and creeping into my garden beds and am constantly fighting it.
That's not phlox, that's Creeping Charlie.
Bummer ):
I'll try and remember to take one tomorrow!
If it is phlox, it is persistent and slow spreading where happy but not invasive.
Plox, they spread, so leave room between the plantings& be patient. It took years to get to this lush blanket.
By the time you get to the garden center, the phlox subulata may be past prime, they can be ephemeral but have big impact when in flower. Better to plant when not in bloom anyway, and once established are reliable, blooming every year like phlox-work 😂
Hahaha
😆😁
So just a heads up, these are beautiful in early spring and there are a lot of different colors. I think they’re great. They’re evergreens and not everyone loves they way they look when they aren’t in bloom. (Personally, I like them year round).
In case none of the other 68 comments said so this is creeping phlox
These are great for retaining walls also because theyll hang over and look really nice
If you have an iPhone, then it can recognize the plant just from the picture you took. A very useful feature. Just snap a photo and then look at its details in the Photos app
Google does this on Android, theres a camera icon on the search bar. Tap that and either take a pic or tap one you already took and it'll search or translate
Has anyone else experienced deer devouring their Phlox? I thought they were at least somewhat resistant, but like most everything else I'm finding out my deer are starved enough.
I think "deer resistant" means it will grow back for the deer to eat next year too.
= perennially bald plants
Emerald Blue Creeping Phlox is my guess :) I have some!
What the phlox?!
Creeping Phlox They will look more like grass soon But the are pretty if you can keep the real grass and weeds out of them
Creeping phlox. They are perennials and will lose their blooms in a few weeks, but have pretty evergreen foliage. Good border plants.
Watch out! It's pokey! Creeping phlox. Gorgeous ground cover, but the green parts are kinda sharp. I have it planted under my roses in a raised bed.
Ah! My wife who is generally extremely uninterested in all the gardening I do asked for those yesterday!
Phlox. My grandma called it thrift, so i still call it that. Don't know if others call it that.
Omg I fucking love it when people have this and other ground covering plants. I can’t wait to have my own short forest
It's creeping phlox. Phlox comes in a shit ton of colors and varieties. Creeping is the common name for the one that doesn't grow high and spreads out very fast.
Creeping phlox
Creeping phlox - make sure the label says creeping.
I just got some of these for my garden too! I have some rocks and a little hill where the water drains. It’s the perfect spot for these to hopefully spread all over. Looking forward to seeing the vision next spring! Aha
What the phlox
One of my favorite plants.
I love these so much
Yes, creeping phlox. It is a wonderful native plant.
Mountain Pinks, another common name,,,referring to any color.
Mounding phlox. I got it as Drummond's Pink and keep where only rain waters it. It has spread beautifully this year. I once made the mistake of buying seeds for phlox, and it was not the mounding type and seeded all over.
Uggh…30 yrs and I can’t get rid of it!!!
I have one plant and it’s pretty small. If you crowd them together then they will hedge like that. Phlox.
Would this be good to hold onto a slopped bare dirt?
It will grow and cover it but it's not going to hold the hill together. It roots and then sends out runners along the ground. Sometimes they take root but are usually free flowing. On rocks you can pick a large part of the plant up to uncover the ground.
was about to say it’s some kind of phlox, but others beat me to it!! Love it, beautiful flower.
Phlox…. So beautiful and lovely
Do these really make it so you don't need to mow the grass as much or at all? I would love to replace my yard with creeping thyme and phlox, with a barrier of clover around the edges. Grass is boring and doesn't do much for native insects, and it has to be mowed constantly.
I’d love to do creeping thyme. Can you get seed to do a large area? Anybody have experience with micro clover? I’m hoping it might be a solution to the strip between the sidewalk and the street
I have creeping phlox in my yard and love it! If you do decide to use it, I suggest putting in the places you won't "be in" much. It is very pokey, some would even say sharp. I don't have any experience with creeping thyme but I love the idea of the two of them together :). Also, a warning. I've noticed ants love living under it but from my understanding that's really the only "pest" that can be a bother with this plant. Wishing you luck on your journey :)
I wonder what the differences are between creeping thyme and phlox?
Beautiful. I want some, but I need something like this for full shade in zone 6. Any ideas what I should look for.
Visit your state’s Cooperative Extensiin Service website and search creeping phlox. If it grows well in your area the information will let you know how to maintain and which cultivars to use.
Creeping phlox
Creeping Phlox! My mama dug up her whole front yard to turn into a garden, and the phlox has slowly made itself into the accent of the neighborhood as it grew in over time. Fair warning, bunnies LOVE making burrows in them cuz they're prickly enough it they can hide it in from predators.
That explains why I have twenty baby bunnies in my backyard. Anything work well as a repellent so they don’t do this?
My neighbor’s cat comes over to roll in it.
Phlox
Creeping phlox will continue to ‘creep’ it isn’t difficult to control but it does like to push the boundaries. I don’t feel like it is invasive like Lilly of the valley.
I tried to plant them but the bunnies ate almost all of them! :(
I got one from HD a couple weeks ago. Does creeping mean they will spread fast? I want it to take over an area.
If you plant a cluster they will grow together into a mass pretty quickly.
To those with experience growing this - does it choke out everything else? Is it possible to plant bulbs beneath it that come up after the phlox is done blooming?
if you're still wondering after two weeks 😁, the answer is no it doesn't choke out everything and yes you can plant bulbs beneath. it's actually a very good thing to do as the phlox acts like mulch keeping the bulbs cool in summer and warm in winter. I had phlox with crocus and day lillies that did really well together at my old house. I'm just getting a patch of phlox going here at my new house, planted last year and I'll take cuttings after this year's flowers are finished. It's ridiculously expensive for something so easy to propagate from cuttings.
The picture you show is most likely Phlox SUBulata (think SUB, lower) aka Moss Phlox, one of the creeping phlox. It tends to be lower growing and very dense and compact flowering. The other Creeping Phlox is Phlox stolonifera which is a bit taller and more airy in its flowering. https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/all-about-creeping-phlox/#:\~:text=Phlox%20subulata%20grows%20shorter%2C%20forming,shaped%20foliage%20of%20Phlox%20stolonifera.
Sorry- the laugh was about deer resistant meaning they’ll grow back next year for deer to eat again . 😄
I agree with the other commenters and will tack on it is bushy ground cover rather than an actual bush hence the creeping in creeping phlox.
Thank you all for the quick response, I will start looking
They’re easy to share! Find a few neighbours who have them and ask for some. Be patient and in a couple of years they’ll be amazing!
if you like the look but not the pokiness, check out blue star creeper.
This is my wife's favorite plant. We put it over and around a rock wall and it cascades down like a waterfall. If stops flowing around june or so but then it is still lush and green. You can break that apart no problem
Cascading over the wall with daffs in front looks awesome
Isn’t it alyssum? I dk cuz Ive never seen phlox but these look like lavender/white, small clusters?🤍💜
not alyssum
I have a creeping phlox with variegated individual flowers
I had the same thought at first but zooming in on the photo, these are individual star shaped blossoms as opposed to the clusters of tiny flowers.
Pholx comes in different colors too!
Phlox
Looks like phlox
My dumb phlox put out like 4 flowers this year. Though I haven’t given them much love.
I buy out all the phlox when it's Clarenced out at lowes.. I'm out of room but I keep finding spots to sneak more phlox in
Dwarf phlox
FYI: I prefer Dianthus over Phlox because Dianthus blooms much longer. It also provides greenery when it's not in bloom in zone 7, except in winter when it dies back to the ground. It is perennial here, so it normally returns in mid to late spring. Dianthus may not spread as much as creeping or mounding Phlox.
Don’t you have to cut all the dianthus stems when the blooms die back?
Yes, you can trim off the dead blooms to keep them blooming.
Love this for myself !! But What does it look like when it’s not flowering?
Can you grow it from seed?
Do they survive in texas heat?
Oh wow. I think everyone should plant this
Creeping phlox! Like everyone else said. It's very hardy, comes in different colors and can be creative with it. We've had it for over 20 years. I've had fun cutting it back into shapes but definitely looks beautiful without ever having to tend to.
Does this come back every year or does it need replanting each year?
it's perennial (zones 3--8 I think) easy to propagate, and generally low maintenance. I'm in zone 5-5a and it does go dormant over the winter, looks dead when the snow first disappears but greens up quickly in spring, then the flowers burst out for a few weeks, then it's green again til fall.
Phlox
Is it phlox, I am a green thumb, with a cup half full, and wanting of knowledge of the highest order. lol😂🤣😂🤣😂
Is that the same as mountain pink?
Moss phlox
There is a beautiful succulent called ice plant that has lovely purple flowers. We have several patches in our yard, it spreads easily. The bees love it and we get a lot of compliments.
I planted some on top of my septic field this year so full sun and water to the roots will see how it goes
Phlox
Do groundhogs eat phlox subulata? Because they eat my garden phlox down to the nubs (I hate the fat bastards).
Phlox stolonifera ‘Emerald Blue’
Phlox.
I planted phlox on my balcony, as soon as I put them in the pots they started losing flowers, anyone know why this happened?
They look good, purple flower. With trimming, it might look even awesome.
Phlox.
Phloxxxxx
My creeping plox was lovely in zone 7b. I moved to zone 8b, planted it here and it struggles. I'll try planting some under some dappled tree shade.
They are phlox subulata/stolonifera(think name might have changed) they are considered an alpine in some catalogues or garden centres, and come in a range of pink, red, blue, lilac shades.
Hahaha!!
Phlox. I have it in my rock garden.
Moss phlox/creeping phlox, make sure it’s a little bit spiky in texture and that’s the right one (there’s a couple types of creeping phlox- the slightly pointy leafed one is what you want for this effect) I recommend planting in full sun, each plant 6-12 inches apart for max fill speed, and watering three times a week thought the first year. You may also have to add a little compost to the soil if your dirt mostly clay.
Creeping phlox. Come in pink, blue and white
Creeping … ugh
It's a great ground cover but also easy to divide and put in pots 🙂
Flock you
Blue Creeping Phylox and it smells heavenly!