Need help with my phlox

deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b

16 years ago

I've posted this problem on our regional forum, but it's still a mystery. I bought some Phlox paniculata 'Blue Boy', 'Orange Perfecction', and 'David' in the late summer/early fall of 2008 from a local nursery clearance. They didn't bloom last year, but our extremely cold and wet summer resulted in very heavy mildew on them. I thought the lack of blooms was just the plants establishing themselves combined with mildew. Last fall I removed all mildewed mulch, etc. This summer I added a high-phosphate fertilizer in the beginning of summer to help with blooms, there hasn't been a drop of mildew problems on them, and, yet still, they are very large with nary a bloom on them. They should be blooming, and at the very least developing blooms, in my region.

They seem to be very healthy and green and get at least 6 hours of sun each day. I don't know about the soil, but immediately next door to them is an Alma Potschke tall aster that I moved next to them early last summer. It bloomed it's head off last year and is already developing many healthy blooms for this fall. I wondered if maybe acidic soil (the norm up here) might be an issue (although other people's phlox don't have any problem around here with acidic soil), but I got another white phlox at a swap last fall and it is in a holding bed with HIGHLY acidic soil (like 4.5) and part shade. What is it doing? BLOOMING! The problem phlox are separated from the main flower beds only by a stone wall, and there are peach and apple trees near them. They are also facing the south.

I am stumped. They are getting sun. They were fertilized. The soil is apparently fine for the aster. They are not supposed to be fussy plants. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!

The phlox are large enough that I might as well divide them this fall and relocate the divisions, just to see what happens next year.

My green phlox:

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Comments (10)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
what formula of fert ???

and you say they get sun.. but you dont say full sun ... how many hours of actual sun???

ken
Prettypetals_GA_7-8
16 years ago
How strange! They sure do look pretty and very healthy. I don't have a clue what to tell you and am anxious to see what others have to say. I have them alllll over my yard and they get anywhere from 2 hrs to all day sun and they all bloom. The ones that get only about 2 hrs of sun, if that much, might still be blooming on the energy they got before the trees came out completely and shaded them and I am curious to see if they will rebloom like my others with plenty of sun. I hope someone helps you out, take care, Judy
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diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Well, Deanna, this is of absolutely no help to you, but I thought I'd share that many years ago I was sent an Orange Perfection phlox by mistake. At the time, I was of the opinion that no one in their right mind would ever want orange phlox, and why did it even exist, lol. I stuck it out far away from my other beds with some yellow helianthus microcephalus, thinking it might look good together.

TWELVE YEARS LATER the darn thing still has not had a single bloom! Not a one! It has thrived, and spread, and grows beautifully every single year, but has never bloomed. I have phlox all over the yard in several different sun/shade/moisture conditions and they all do well ... and bloom, lol.

And now I would LOVE some orange phlox to put in my bouquets. Figures, huh...

I sure hope someone responds to this thread. Maybe we can both figure out what's up.

:)
Dee
aachenelf z5 Mpls
16 years ago
Ken - She said they get 6 hours of sun per day.

IMO - They might just be late in blooming. My David just started, but Blue Boy doesn't have a sign of buds yet. I would just wait until fall and see what happens.

Kevin
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Gee, I hope she doesn't have to wait as long as I've been waiting, lol!!

:)
Dee
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
16 years ago
Given that they were very, extremely stressed last year, I'd definitely give them another year before getting concerned.
coolplantsguy
16 years ago
I see the soaker hoses -- how often do you water?

Maybe they're too "comfy" this year.
deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the replies. As for the soaker hose, I only water plants that aren't established. I've got many new winter-sown plants in the main beds so I've had to water there during the summer, but they are on the other side of the stone wall from the phlox so the phlox got no extra water. We've been exceedingly dry (and hot), and a few of the early summer rain showers that our neighboring towns enjoyed showed a nice, big, dry hole over our area, so we've had even less rain than most up here. The soaker hose was used only once, about 3 weeks ago (maybe, I guess) when it was completely dry and hot and the phlox looked like they really needed a drink. They're definitely not comfy, but I don't think they're water stressed either.

I can guarantee you I'm not waiting 12 years, though! Isn't is strange? I did a web search and found nothing. Diggerdee, you and I have the only non-blooming phlox in the nation, I think.

I'm pretty sure I'll divide them this fall. Half I'll leave where they are, just to see what happens, and the other half I'll put in another place in the garden. Those Alma Potschkes like it there, so I think I'll divide her and fill in the area with them eventually.

Any more thoughts on these phlox, please reply. I'll be checking often!

mad gallica, I searched to see if mildew can affect next year's blooms and found nothing. Have you heard of that happening?
duluthinbloomz4
16 years ago
Your phlox looks clean and healthy. I've not heard of mildew having a carry over effect if any infected plants are cut down and disposed of properly in the fall; making sure to clean up any leaves and stems that may have fallen in the process so rain doesn't splash spores up again next season.

My phlox are an old no ID white variety and the drifts have become too large and thick which, I'm sure, is the biggest problem with their blooming. The bloom is not great anymore, but will usually start very late - August into September/October. Been trying to thin them out, but the root system is so dense, it's hard to find an entry point with a shovel.
chase_zone7
16 years ago
I agree that you should give it a bit more time. Like one of your other posters, my "David" took forever to bloom this year and I am in zone 7. You lose nothing by giving a healthy plant one more season.