culture connection perennial solutions ummer S ave W divaricata ‘Parksville By Paul Pilon Beach’

With its evergreen foliage and power, this new variety will brighten up any landscape.

hlox divaricata produces a show- Propagation stopping display of color in the Phlox ‘Parksville Beach’ is vegetatively prop- late spring, brightening up any agated from tip cuttings. Before sticking the landscape. Tony Avent from unrooted cuttings (URCs), moisten the rooting Delights recently discovered a new medium in the liner flat. Place the cuttings under cultivar,P ‘Parksville Beach’, in the mountains of a low misting regime for about the first seven to Parksville Beach, Tenn. This variety has many 10 days of propagation. When possible, it is usu- Solution great attributes that are appealing for growers and ally best to propagate under high humidity levels landscapers alike. (90 percent relative humidity) with minimal for Shade ‘Parksville Beach’ is a vigorous, but low misting. At seven to 10 days after sticking, it is growing, evergreen phlox that only reaches 4 to 6 beneficial to apply water soluble fertilizers using inches tall when not in bloom and 8 to 10 inches 75- to 100-ppm nitrogen at each irrigation begin- tall when in flower. It produces an abundance of ning. The misting can gradually be reduced as Easy to grow and maintain bright purple-pink fragrant in mid to late the cuttings develop callus and begin to root. spring. These evergreen are easy to grow Remove the cuttings from the mist once they are Withstands heat and disease and spread freely, reaching 2 feet across after sev- rooted. The cuttings are usually rooted in less eral years in the landscape. than three weeks with soil temperatures ranging Self-cleaning, well-branching Woodland Phlox performs well across a wide from 64 to 68° F. Liners take approximately five portion of the United States, throughout USDA to six weeks from sticking to become fully rooted Hardiness Zones 4 to 8. ‘Parksville Beach’ pre- and ready for transplanting. fers to be grown under bright shade in locations with rich, moist, well drained soils. It can be used Production to naturalize areas, in wildflower gardens, as a Phlox divaricata are well suited for produc- border planting, ground cover, in mass plantings, tion in quart or 1-gallon containers. Wood- or used for container plantings. It also attracts land Phlox are typically planted during the hummingbirds and butterflies into the garden late summer of the year prior to the intended and is also considered to be deer resistant. market date. Planting phlox in the late summer www.suntorycollection.com With its compact size, evergreen foliage, early allows them to bulk up, increases plant vigor, bloom time, flower power and ease of production, produces more flowers per plant, and results in ‘Parksville Beach’ would make a great addition to earlier and more uniform flowering. Growers Write in 788 most perennial programs. can also plant large vernalized liners into smaller

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container sizes in the spring for sales during the and overall plant quality. same growing season. Woodland Phlox perform best at light to mod- ‘Parksville Beach’ performs best in well- erate fertility levels. Nutrients are commonly deliv- drained growing mixes. When transplanting, the ered using water-soluble sources, providing 75- to liners should be planted so the original soil line of 100-ppm using a constant liquid fertilizer pro- the plug is even with the surface of the growing gram or 150- to 200-ppm as needed. Controlled- www.suntorycollection.com medium of the new container. It is beneficial to release fertilizers can be applied as a top-dress soft pinch the plants during the bulking phase to onto the media surface using the medium labeled Write in 789 promote lateral branching and improve fullness rate, or incorporated into the growing mix prior

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to planting at a rate equivalent to 1.0 pounds of temperatures below 50° F. elemental nitrogen per yard of growing medium. Phlox divaricata has an obligate cold require- unvillea During production, phlox should be grown with ment for flowering. They can be vernalized in a slightly acidic pH: 5.8 to 6.2. the final container or as large plugs (72-cell or Grow phlox under ‘average’ irrigation regimes. larger) for a minimum of six to eight weeks at 35 Naturally It is best to keep them uniformly moist, but not to 44° F. Following the cold treatment, they will S consistently wet. When irrigation is needed, water flower under any photoperiod (day neutral plants) thoroughly and allow the medium to dry slightly and can be forced into bloom under natural day Dwarf between waterings. lengths. The length of the photoperiod does With its compact growth habit, it is usually not have any effect on the time to flower or the Bougainvillea! not necessary to implement height management number of blooms produced. strategies. If some growth control is necessary, There are two common approaches to pro- Most compact bougainvillea the plants can be toned using spray applications ducing flowering containers of Woodland tank combination of 2,000-ppm daminozide Phlox. The first method described above Fast crop (B-Nine or Dazide) plus 3-ppm uniconazole entails planting unvernalized liners into the 3 delightful colors (Concise or Sumagic). final container during early to mid fall, bulking them up, vernalizing them and forcing them to Insects and Diseases bloom in the early spring. The second strategy There are several pests and diseases that involves transplanting vernalized plugs into attack Woodland Phlox. Aphids, spider mites, the final containers during the late winter and thrips and whiteflies are the most prevalent forcing them to flower in the mid spring. In pests; however, caterpillars, foliar nematodes, either case, they can be grown using low pro- grasshoppers, leafhoppers and slugs may be duction temperatures (60 to 65° F) and natural observed feeding on them on occasion. The pri- day lengths. When grown under these growing mary diseases which infect phlox are Botrytis, conditions, they will flower in approximately Cercospora spot, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, six to eight weeks. Pythium and powdery mildew. Insects and dis- eases can be detected with routine crop moni- Availability toring; control strategies may not be necessary Liners of Phlox divaricata ‘Parksville Beach’ unless the scouting activities indicate actions are available from a limited number of propaga- should be taken. tors at this time. Current suppliers include Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. (www.plantdelights.com), Forcing Creek Hill Nursery (www.creekhillnursery. Phlox ‘Parksville Beach’ is typically grown and com) and North Creek Nurseries (www.north- sold in flower in early to mid spring. To produce creeknurseries.com). g the fullest containers with the most bloom it is best to bulk Woodland Phlox in the final con- tainer prior to overwintering. The amount of time Paul Pilon is a horticultural consultant, owner required for bulking varies widely by the container of Perennial Solutions Consulting (www. size being produced. Provide a minimum of four perennialsolutions.com), and author of weeks for quart-sized containers and up to eight Perennial Solutions: A Grower’s Guide to weeks for one gallon pots. Prior to overwintering, Perennial Production. He can be reached allow at least four weeks from the time the plants at 616.366.8588 or paul@perennialsolutions. are pinched until they are consistently exposed to com.

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