Tall garden phlox ( Phlox paniculata ) is an old - fashioned beaut cultivated by generations of gardener . The plant , repeated in U.S. Department of Agriculture works hardiness zones 3 through 8 , is an attractive halfway - of - the - border plant for full sun that farm from 2 to 3 foot grandiloquent and flower for as long as six calendar week from late summer into fall . As temperatures shed go into winter , turn off phlox back for a healthier plant in the spring .
End-of-Season Pruning
Step 1
Healthy phlox flora can be cut back by one-half after the flowers fade from late summer to fall to prevent reseeding . Seedlings from named cultivars revert to the Battle of Magenta pink of the apparent specie plant life . Phlox is prone to the disease powdery mildew , which disfigures the plants from the bottom up , cover them in a whitish powder . Cut infected plants back to the ground for winter with pruning shears .
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew , because of a fungus ( Erysiphe cichoracearum ) , often strike tall phlox in midsummer . It begins as white , powdery patches on foliage , which can unite and finally cover all the putting green on the industrial plant . The disease is prevalent in areas with high humidity and where plant are shaded and frequently watered overhead in the evening , which does n’t give the foliage a chance to dry before the temperatures cool down . Some tall phlox cultivars are bred to be tolerant to the disease , and the plain specie plant is more resistant than named cultivars . Rake up and discard all pruned textile in the rubbish — not in a compost tidy sum — to debar spreading the fungus or countenance it overwinter to reinfect the works when it reemerges in the spring .
Preventive Pruning
Pruning too soon in the time of year cuts the chance that your phlox industrial plant will develop powdery mildew . When the plants are about 6 inches tall in the spring , thin the industrial plant to five or six of the healthiest stems , spread across the plant . Cut the other halt out at the cornerstone with bypass pruners . lift out the tips of the stems that stay encourages ramify to help the plant fill in at the top , while allowing for increased air circulation around the base , which deter the fungal disease .
Considerations
Use sharp , sterile pruning shears when cutting back your phlox . When the plant has a case of powdery mildew , resterilize the peter before using it to cut other plants . Household antiseptic cleaning atomiser can do the illusion without damage your vesture or the metallic element of the dick . Wear baseball mitt to protect your hand from inadvertent cut or from land - borne disease . Keep pruning tool out of reach of children . Phlox are nontoxic and deliberate safe for imbed around children and pets .
References
Related
