Phloxes are the most popular ornamental plants for flower beds. Most beloved by many phlox panicled Blue Paradise. It is unusually beautiful, striking with its rich blue color, playfully shimmering from pale blue to dark purple shades. It surprises with large lush domes of inflorescences, has a pleasant delicate aroma and does not require complicated care.
History and description of the variety
Phlox Paniculata Blue Paradis is a perennial ornamental herb that belongs to the genus Phlox, a species of paniculate Phlox. Grown around the world, but its homeland is North America. The history of the variety began in Holland in 1995. It was not bred, the flower was found by the famous breeder P. Udolf. He found this flower in the beds of his friend, who was growing flowers for cutting. There is no patent for this variety.
Phlox Blue Paradis
For your information! Blue Paradise is the winner and winner of many specialized exhibitions. Valued for disease resistance, winter hardiness, high decorativeness.
Blue Paradise is a deep blue phlox. It changes its color depending on the time of day and weather, so it is also called a chameleon. In the afternoon, flowers are lilac in color with a lighter center and a lilac-lilac ring, in the evening they turn dark blue, while the center of the flower turns blue more strongly, and in the morning and in cloudy weather they are blue-blue with a dark purple ring.
Blue Paradis in the evening
The bush is semi-spreading, steady, grows rapidly. The height of the bush varies from 70 to 120 cm, depending on the soil and climatic conditions of cultivation. The stems are dark green, durable. Leaves matte narrow elongated with a sharp peak. The inflorescence can be round or conical up to 40 cm in diameter, medium density, consists of flowers with a diameter of 3.5-5 cm with slightly wavy petals. Each flower has five petals. It has a pleasant aroma. Phlox blooms for a long time, up to 45 days, starting in July and until the first frost.
In one place, the bush can grow up to five years, then you need to dig it up to divide the rhizome with a sharp knife into several bushes, at the same time sorting the roots, leaving the healthiest, and plant them on prepared beds in a new place. It is better to do this in spring or early fall.
Note! The phlox is intended for cultivation in flower beds and flower beds, for cutting, used in landscape design.
Characteristics of Phlox paniculata Blue Paradise
Blue Paradise panicled phlox is ideal for growing in flower beds. Its blue color brings peace and harmony to any color. Remarkable flower bed neighbors will be Phlox White Admiral (white), Phlox Magic Blue (blue), Windsor (deep pink) Phlox Blue Boy (lavender).
Blue Paradise is photophilous, but it is better to choose a place where the sun's rays are scattered to preserve the decorative appearance of the leaves and increase the flowering time. A place slightly protected by the crown of a tree is perfect. A nook is also necessary, since phlox does not tolerate drafts and winds.
The root system is perennial, quite powerful, located in the upper layers of the soil, but, despite this, is winter-hardy. The green part of the bush dies after the first frost and needs pruning. The variety is frost-resistant, does not need shelter in winter, is not afraid of spring frosts and begins to build up green mass immediately after snow melts.
Important! Blue Paradise is resistant to various fungal diseases, which is very much appreciated by gardeners. Phlox need constantly moist soil, they can not be left without watering, especially on hot days.
How to save seedlings before planting in the ground
Phlox Blue Paradise does not like root overheating, so growing it in a container is very difficult. It is better not to buy seedlings in advance. If it was not possible in the store to go past the packaging with the roots, first of all you need to carefully inspect the package with the plant before buying.
When choosing a phlox seedling, you should pay attention to some details:
- the filler (peat or sawdust) should be slightly moist;
- the roots will fit only clean, healthy, not over-dried, not rotten;
- there should be no spots of mold, slippery areas, signs of illness;
- the root should be dormant without white processes;
- growth buds must be visible.
If the seedling rhizome was bought in advance at the end of winter or early spring, the question arises of how to save it before planting in the ground. After the purchase, you need to inspect the roots, treat with fungicide, put in a bag, overlay with slightly moist peat. Make holes in the bag and put in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable tray. The optimum temperature for storing phlox seedlings Blue Paradise 1-3 ° C.
If the kidneys have already woken up, it is better to put the spine in a pot and also put it in the refrigerator. A temperature of 3-5 ° C is suitable. Before planting, you can pinch the root system silently so that the flower builds up the lateral roots. If possible, pots with hatching kidneys can be placed on a glazed loggia. The main thing is that the threat of frost has passed. Storage temperature must be positive. In May, an already grown plant is planted in the ground.
Phlox roots
Features of planting varieties
In order for the Blue Paradise phlox seedling to take root and please its beauty for a long time (it grows in one place for 4-5 years), special attention should be paid to planting.
Selection of a place for phlox
Phlox Blue Paradise loves moist, loose, fertile soil and light partial shade in a cool place without drafts. Therefore, it is better to plant it near trees or shrubs, but so that the diffused sunlight in sufficient quantities falls on the plant. On a too shady area, the inflorescences become pale and loose or completely stop blooming.
Note! You can not plant phlox near a birch, spruce or lilac, their root system is so powerful that it can drown out the roots of flowers. It is better to make a flowerbed high with a slope to prevent stagnation of water that the plant does not tolerate.
Soil preparation
The flower loves the soil loamy, sandy loam and black soil. The Blue Paradise phlox landing site is prepared in the fall, and during the autumn landing, three weeks before landing. In September, they dig the earth, remove garbage and weeds, make humus or compost on the bayonet of a shovel. If the soil is heavy, sand is added to the humus, and if acidic, lime (200 g per 1 m²). It is also recommended to immediately lay mineral fertilizers and wood ash.
Phlox landing
A plant is planted in a prepared pit 25-30 cm deep to a depth of 3-5 cm from the root neck to the surface of the earth. The distance between plants is from 40 to 60 cm. When grown from seeds, sowing is started in the second half of March, the first shoots appear in two weeks, and after three weeks you can proceed to picking.
Watering
When the soil dries, the leaves of the plant lose their decorativeness, dry out and fall off, the flowering time is reduced. It is necessary to ensure that the soil always remains slightly moist, but without stagnation of water. It is necessary to water under the root, without falling on the leaves and inflorescences in the evening.
Important! After irrigation, mandatory loosening of the soil is required, which again will prevent stagnation of the water and saturate the roots with oxygen.
Top dressing
For healthy growth and long flowering, it is enough to feed the plant only two times:
- in spring, during the growth of plants, nitrogen fertilizers are applied for more intensive development;
- in mid-summer, complex mineral fertilizers are needed (phosphorus will give the plant health, and potassium will enhance flowering) and a urea solution under the root.
Note! Phlox paniculata Blue Paradise is very fond of processing with an ash solution (for 2 liters of water 300 g of wood ash), with which the plant is watered under the root. Fresh manure for the plant is strictly contraindicated, it can lead to the formation of rot and death of the bush.
Pruning
Phlox is cut off after flowering to a height of about 10 cm from the ground. They also practice spring pruning. The shoots are left for the winter to detain the snow mass. Cut stems are burned, and the bush is treated with fungicides.
Winter Phlox Pruning
Preparing phlox for winter
Phlox Blue Paradise is frost-resistant and does not require much effort in preparation for the winter. To increase frost resistance, it is recommended to add potash fertilizers at the end of August. Cut bushes spud a little earth or sprinkle with humus. Then cover with branches or spruce branches to hold snow. If the snow cover is small, you should throw snow on the flower bed for more reliable plant protection.
Disease protection
Although phlox Blue Paradise is quite unpretentious, but it also needs protection from diseases. One of the most common diseases is powdery mildew. It is easy to recognize her by white, rapidly growing spots. It is necessary to cut off and destroy diseased leaves, and treat the bush with a fungicide. Bordeaux liquid is a proven way to control powdery mildew.
Powdery mildew
Among pests, the most dangerous for phlox are nematodes. Microscopic worms living in the stems can lead to the death of the flower. To combat them, it is necessary to trim the bush, burn the stems, and treat the soil with nematicides.
Caring for phlox is simple, and the result in the form of blue fragrant caps will please over the course of 1.5-2 summer months from year to year. The main thing is to choose the right place for planting and make suitable fertilizers.
