Creeping Phlox Live Plant Plugs – Perennial Groundcover for Rock Gardens, 1 inch Container

Overview

Introduce stunning beauty and vibrant color to your garden with our creeping phlox live plant plugs. Also widely known as Moss Phlox or Phlox Subulata, this exceptional spring-blooming herbaceous perennial is celebrated for its dense, spreading, mat-like growth habit, forming a lush tapestry of flowers. Reaching a modest height of up to 6 inches and spreading 2 to 3 feet wide, these plants are perfect for adding visual interest without overpowering other garden features. The needle-like, green leaves provide a consistent backdrop for the spectacular floral display. Our healthy plugs offer an excellent foundation for establishing this resilient and attractive groundcover, ensuring your garden bursts with life each spring. This particular selection includes varieties like Emerald Cushion Blue, Scarlet Flame, Purple Beauty, Fort Hill, Candy Stripe, and Goldiphlox Cherry, each offering unique hues and characteristics that contribute to a dynamic landscape.

The charm of creeping phlox live plant lies in its ability to transform bare ground into a carpet of brilliant blossoms. Its flowers, appearing in loose clusters of tubular 3/4 inch blossoms, come in a delightful array of shades including pink, lavender, reddish-purple, blue, red, and sometimes white. This prolific bloomer provides a breathtaking show from early to mid-spring, with sporadic blooms continuing until frost. The foliage forms cushion-like mats, reminiscent of moss, which gives it its common name, moss phlox perennial. These plants are native to North America and are well-adapted to various climates, making them a reliable choice for gardeners across many regions. Each seedling arrives in a small plug-size 1″ X 1″ X 1 1/4” container, ready for planting.

Key Benefits

Integrating creeping phlox live plant into your garden offers numerous advantages, from aesthetic appeal to ecological benefits. These plants are not only beautiful but also incredibly versatile and beneficial for the garden ecosystem. They are a fantastic choice for gardeners seeking both beauty and practicality.

• Stunning Groundcover: Creates a dense, colorful carpet of flowers, ideal for filling in bare spots, stabilizing slopes, or softening hard edges in your landscape. This dense growth also helps suppress weeds.
• Attracts Pollinators: The vibrant blooms of phlox subulata groundcover are a magnet for beneficial insects like butterflies and bees, contributing to a healthier garden environment and supporting local ecosystems.
• Deer and Rabbit Resistant: Enjoy the beauty without concern for common garden pests. Creeping phlox is known for its natural resistance to deer and rabbits, protecting your investment and effort.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, these perennials require minimal care, thriving with just a sunny location and regular watering. This makes them a perfect choice for gardeners looking for low maintenance perennials.
• Drought and Heat Tolerant: Varieties like ‘Emerald Cushion Blue’ and ‘Fort Hill’ demonstrate enhanced resilience to dry conditions and heat, making them suitable for a wider range of climates and less demanding of constant attention.
• Versatile Landscape Use: Excellent for rock garden plants, borders, pathways, containers, and spilling over walls. Their adaptability allows for creative and diverse applications in any garden design.
• Long Blooming Season: Provides a spectacular display of flowers from early to mid-spring, with occasional blooms extending through to frost, ensuring prolonged visual interest in your garden.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Ensuring the success of your creeping phlox live plant is straightforward with a few key care practices. These resilient perennials are quite adaptable, but optimal conditions will encourage the most vibrant blooms and robust growth. Starting with healthy plugs provides a strong foundation for a thriving garden.

Sunlight Requirements: Creeping Phlox thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce the most abundant flowers. While it can tolerate partial shade, flowering may be less prolific. For best results, choose a location that receives ample morning sun and some afternoon shade in hotter climates to prevent scorching. Ensure proper spacing of 6-10 inches between plants to allow for adequate air circulation and growth.

Watering Schedule and Soil Moisture: Once established, Creeping Phlox is relatively drought-tolerant. Water thoroughly once a week, or more often during periods of extended drought or extreme heat. Reduce watering frequency in rainy weather. The key is consistent moisture without waterlogging, as overly wet conditions can lead to root rot. When planting, ensure the soil is moist but not saturated. This hardy moss phlox perennial prefers well-drained soil and does not like to sit in standing water.

Soil Type and Drainage: These plants prefer well-drained soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0). Sandy or gravelly soils are ideal as they prevent water retention. If your soil is heavy clay, amend it with organic matter like compost or grit to improve drainage. Good drainage is crucial for the health and longevity of your phlox subulata groundcover. Fertilization is generally not necessary for Creeping Phlox, especially in rich soils. If growth appears slow or leaves are pale, a light application of a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer in early spring can be beneficial. Avoid over-fertilizing, which can promote foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming and maintain a tidy appearance, though this is not strictly necessary for plant health.

Temperature Range and USDA Hardiness Zone: Most varieties of Creeping Phlox are hardy in USDA Zones 2-9, making them suitable for a wide range of climates. They are quite tolerant of cold winters and hot summers, especially the drought-tolerant varieties. Protect young plants from extreme winter winds in colder zones. Common problems are few, but watch for powdery mildew in humid conditions or overly dense plantings. Ensure good air circulation to help prevent this. This resilient perennial is truly one of the best low maintenance perennials available.

Size & Details

Our creeping phlox live plant plugs provide a robust start for your garden. Each seedling is carefully cultivated and delivered in a small, ready-to-plant plug-size container, measuring approximately 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 1/4 inches. While plant sizes may vary slightly due to their natural growth, each plug represents a healthy, viable plant ready for transplanting into your garden. Varieties such as Emerald Cushion Blue, Scarlet Flame, and Fort Hill typically mature to a compact, spreading habit of 4-6 inches tall and 12-24 inches wide, creating a dense mat of foliage and flowers. Purple Beauty offers a slightly smaller mounded habit of 2-4 inches tall and 6-10 inches wide, while Candy Stripe spreads 18-36 inches. Goldiphlox Cherry maintains a mounded habit of 3-6 inches tall and 12-14 inches wide. These growth habits make them perfectly suited as phlox subulata groundcover and excellent rock garden plants.

You will receive young plant plugs as described in the listing, not necessarily mature or blooming plants shown in illustrative pictures. Creeping Phlox typically establishes quickly once planted and can begin to spread and bloom within its first full season, offering a beautiful display in early to mid-spring. These plants are evergreen in zones 2-9, providing year-round foliage interest in many regions. Their vigorous growth rate makes them an excellent choice for quickly covering areas and establishing a vibrant landscape feature. Expect a continuous carpet of color from these durable low maintenance perennials.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this creeping phlox live plant get? A: Most varieties of Creeping Phlox grow to be 4-6 inches tall and spread 12-24 inches wide, forming a dense mat. Some varieties may have slightly different dimensions, such as Purple Beauty which is 2-4 inches tall and 6-10 inches wide.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: Each seedling is shipped in a small plug-size container, approximately 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 1/4 inches, ready for planting in your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Creeping Phlox is primarily an outdoor plant, best suited for groundcover, rock gardens, and borders in garden beds. It thrives in full sun and is a hardy perennial.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal blooming and growth, Creeping Phlox requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. It can tolerate some partial shade, especially in hot climates.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Creeping Phlox is considered a very low-maintenance perennial. Once established, it requires minimal care, making it an excellent choice for beginner gardeners and those seeking low maintenance perennials.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your creeping phlox live plant will arrive as healthy, young plugs in small containers, ready for transplanting. Please note that pictures may show mature plants for illustrative purposes.
• Q: Can I use moss phlox perennial in a rock garden? A: Absolutely! Creeping Phlox is an excellent choice for rock gardens, where its spreading habit can cascade over rocks and fill in crevices, creating a beautiful display. It is one of the most popular rock garden plants.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: While they are young plugs, these plants are typically spring-blooming. Depending on when you plant them, you can expect blooms in the first full spring season after planting.
• Q: Will phlox subulata groundcover survive winter in my zone? A: Most varieties of Creeping Phlox are hardy in USDA Zones 2-9, meaning they are well-equipped to survive winter in a wide range of climates.
• Q: Is this plant attractive to wildlife? A: Yes, Creeping Phlox is known to attract beneficial pollinators such as butterflies and bees, contributing to the biodiversity of your garden while resisting deer and rabbits.