Creeping woodland phlox
Phlox stolonifera · Polemoniaceae
A low, evergreen mat of small, rounded leaves, with clusters of blue, pink, lavender or white flowers on short stems in spring.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late April to late May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around creeping woodland phlox
The planner designed this bed around creeping woodland phlox when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why creeping woodland phlox stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Creeping woodland phlox × 23, blue
- 2 Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' × 8, blue
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 White wood aster × 3, white
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 7, yellow
- 8 Early crocus × 12, lavender
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, spires, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 23 plants in 3 groups (10, 8 and 5). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late April to late May.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 41% of the planted ground. There is more creeping woodland phlox than anything else, 23 plants in all. Early colour comes from bulbs planted between the other plants: yellow trout lily and early crocus.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 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 woodland phlox goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
It gives the effect of creeping phlox in shade. The mat is loose enough for small bulbs and ferns to grow through it.
- Flowering groundcover for shade
- Woodland path edges
- Under shrubs
What to plant with creeping woodland phlox
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Foamflower: in flower together for five weeks, from late April; spires rising out of its mound.
- Dwarf crested iris: in flower together for four weeks, from late April.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about creeping woodland phlox
Does creeping woodland phlox need sun or shade?
Creeping woodland phlox grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does creeping woodland phlox grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does creeping woodland phlox flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early May to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late April to late May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Early April to early May |
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 woodland phlox be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many creeping woodland phlox plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 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 23 in three groups.
Is creeping woodland phlox poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat creeping woodland phlox?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after creeping woodland phlox?
Creeping woodland phlox is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips': from late June to late August, 8 in tall.
What does creeping woodland phlox look like in winter?
Creeping woodland 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 woodland phlox good for bees and butterflies?
Creeping woodland phlox is visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
It is native to the United States.
More Phlox
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata
- Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe' Phlox subulata 'Candy Stripe'
- Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue'
- Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple' Phlox stolonifera 'Sherwood Purple'
- 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
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Plants with blue flowers
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late April to late May; dense clusters; blue, pink, lavender, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Polemoniaceae
- Comes from
- Appalachian mountains
- Attracts
- Butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, black walnut, pollution, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.