Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Written by: Wanda Simone | Last Updated: May 2, 2024
Adds a colorful carpet to gardens, creeping Phlox is perfect for ground cover, edging borders, and beautifying rock gardens with its lush, flowering spread.
Plant snapshot
Scientific name: Phlox subulata
Plant type: perennial
Zone: 3 to 9
Exposure: sun, part shade
Height: 4″ to 6″
Width: 24″ to 36″
Bloom time: early spring to spring
Flower color: blue, purple, pink, white
Creeping Phlox or Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) is a low-growing, evergreen ground cover perennial that thrives in full sun.
It is easy to grow, deer-resistant, drought-tolerant and creates a carpet of color at the front of garden beds in the spring that is dense enough to discourage most weeds.
If you are patient, 3 or 4 of these plants can eventually line a 6 foot sidewalk. But it is not invasive.
There is a limited color selection (purple-blue, lavender, pink or white). However, you can add some extra interest by combining them with spring bulbs such as daffodils, tulips or irises which look beautiful growing up through the phlox.
Creeping Phlox characteristics
Creeping Phlox blooms
Flower color: blue, purple, pink, white
Bloom time: early spring to spring
Phlox subulata Foliage
Leaf color: green
Leaf shape: needle-like
Foliage interest: evergreen
Creeping Phlox planting & care
Water: drought tolerant once established
Pruning: Give it a trim in the summer after it has finished blooming to encourage even more blooms the following year.
Phlox subulata benefits & issues
Resistant to: deer
Attracts: butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Landscaping uses: ground cover, front of border, rock gardens
Growth habit: easy to grow
Potential issues: rabbits like it
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