The low-growing cushion phlox (Phlox subulata) is a popular ground cover in many rock gardens as well as along flowerbed edges and natural stone walls due to its early and colorful flowering period. For use on large areas as ground cover, the plants can also be propagated relatively easily.
How do you propagate upholstery phlox effectively?
Propagate cushion phlox: either by sowing in autumn, dividing strong specimens in spring or cutting cuttings between May and July. When dividing and cutting, ensure there is sufficient root content for the new plants.
Sowing upholstery phlox
In garden retailers, upholstered phlox is usually offered in the form of strong young plants in plant containers. These have the advantage that they can be planted relatively flexibly in the garden from spring to autumn. However, with a little care, it is also possible to grow upholstery phlox yourself from seeds. Please note the following information:
- Phlox is a frost germinator (which is why sowing outdoors should take place before winter)
- plants grown indoors at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius can be sensitive to frost
- the delicate roots of small young plants can be easily injured when transplanting
Sowing as a propagation method is usually only practiced for annual phlox species, as the perennial cushion phlox is easier to propagate in other species and is only partially true to the variety when grown from seeds.
Strong specimens can be divided like other perennials
After a few years in the bed, you can carefully dig up particularly strong specimens of cushion phlox in spring and divide them carefully with a sharp-edged spade. Make sure that the size of the remaining individual parts is not too small. In very sunny locations, it can make sense to combine division propagation with pruning particularly long shoots.
Rooting cuttings
From May to July, the time for cutting cuttings of upholstery phlox is particularly favorable. To do this, cut 5 to 6 cm long head cuttings (€8.00 on Amazon) from the shoot ends of the plant and remove the lower leaf bases from each. Then stick the cuttings into loose substrate in a rather shady place in the garden. Keep this moderately moist for a few weeks until the cuttings have formed their own roots and can be transplanted.
Tip
The cushion phlox, like many other rock garden plants, tends to let its cushions hang over the edges of natural stone walls and rocks in the rock garden. When cutting off individual plant parts for propagation purposes, please note that often large areas of the plant cushions are not connected to the ground via roots. Always divide the plants so that all offshoots have a sufficiently large amount of roots.