Creeping phlox
Phlox subulata · Polemoniaceae Popular
A low, spreading mat that turns into a sheet of colour in spring. Ideal for edging, slopes and rock walls, with needle-like foliage that stays tidy the rest of the year.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around creeping phlox
The planner designed this bed around creeping phlox when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why creeping phlox stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Creeping phlox × 9, pink
- 2 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 5, blue
- 3 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 4 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 5 Leadplant × 1, purple
- 6 Wild lupine × 4, blue
- 7 Star of Persia × 5, purple
- 8 Snow crocus × 12, white
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, flat plates, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for snow crocus. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 6 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 63% of the edge.
- 9 plants in 2 runs (5 and 4). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Beside snow crocus. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to mid May.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 60% of the planted ground. The back corners are held by stiff goldenrod and little bluestem, the tallest plants on the plan. Cool colours (pink, blue and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where creeping phlox goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
A sheet of solid colour for three weeks, then a quiet green mat. Use it as the front edge of a sunny bed, where its low line sets off the taller plants behind.
- Spilling over a wall or the front edge of a bed
- Sunny slopes and banks
- A spring carpet in front of later perennials
What to plant with creeping phlox
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daffodil: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for four weeks; tall enough (16 in) to stand behind it.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': carries the spot on into mid October; bold leaves against its fine ones; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (10 in) to stand behind it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Creeping phlox vs Creeping thyme.
Questions about creeping phlox
Does creeping phlox need sun or shade?
Creeping phlox grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does creeping phlox grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does creeping phlox flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Early May to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late April to late May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 9 | Late March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should creeping phlox be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many creeping phlox plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used nine in two groups.
Is creeping phlox poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat creeping phlox?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after creeping phlox?
Creeping phlox is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Creeping thyme: from early June to mid July, 3 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall.
What does creeping phlox look like in winter?
Creeping phlox holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is creeping phlox good for bees and butterflies?
Creeping phlox is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada.
More Phlox
- Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe' Phlox subulata 'Candy Stripe'
- Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue'
- Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' Phlox stolonifera 'Sherwood Purple'
- Creeping woodland phlox Phlox stolonifera
- Garden phlox Phlox paniculata
- Garden phlox 'Bright Eyes' Phlox paniculata 'Bright Eyes'
- Garden phlox 'David' Phlox paniculata 'David'
- Garden phlox 'Jeana' Phlox paniculata 'Jeana'
- Garden phlox 'Laura' Phlox paniculata 'Laura'
- Woodland phlox Phlox divaricata
- Woodland phlox 'Blue Moon' Phlox divaricata 'Blue Moon'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May; dense clusters; pink, purple, white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Polemoniaceae
- Comes from
- Central and Eastern Canada and Central and Eastern United States
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, salt, poor soil, pollution, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.