Flame Flower

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 03:36

With over 100 different phlox varieties, which he sells in his nursery and in mail order, he is the first address for flame flowers.

Although you could of course also ask him about mint, mallow, grass and much more - the list of perennial treasures he cultivates seems endless. Even for a purely virtual excursion to the nursery's homepage, you should plan some time. Perennial friends may find it difficult to "click away" these informative pages full of suggestions after a few minutes. The attractively designed website is full of specialist knowledge and practical experience. Dieter Gaissmayer also owns the latter when dealing with magazines. Although his nursery has long been so well known that he no longer needs any media attention, he takes the time to talk - on one condition: if there is an article about phlox, or also flame flower (phlox is ancient Greek and means flame),then other species should come into play as well, always the same high summer phlox (Phlox paniculata), of which one has heard and read so much.

Perennial flame flowers: Many phlox varieties

His preferred candidate is a different one: "Just write something about the large leaf phlox (picture on the right). It is offered far too rarely. You have fewer problems with mildew with this phlox and it also comes with the high summer drought and Heat better. " It's not a problem, on the contrary: if you can pass on something new, so much the better! It is only strange that a plant with such good properties cannot find its way into the garden center. Dieter Gaissmayer has his own explanation: "The variety names on the large leaf phlox are not easy to remember. This is not exactly business-minded. If you want to be commercially successful, choose English names. They are catchy and sell worldwide."

Garden design

Colorful phlox varieties

Few perennials bring as much color as these phlox varieties into the flower bed

In fact, some of the highly recommended large leaf phlox varieties have Indian names like "Minnehaha", which translates to "waterfall". But nobody should be put off by such complicated names. On the contrary, they may arouse curiosity about special properties. The strains are considered ideal for beginners or those who have already had their (bad) experiences with Phlox. Because despite all the joy of the flowers, the well-known summer phloxes (P. paniculata) are a little tricky and have driven many plant lovers to despair, Dieter Gaissmayer knows that - he doesn't talk nicely. He also sees himself not as a perennial producer, but as a keeper of the living cultural asset plant. And that may also have weaknesses: "It's not all easy and easy to care for and if I want my customers to enjoy a herbaceous plant, I have to honestly say what you don't get."

Summer phlox is susceptible

The summer phlox would be such a case: on the one hand, it likes full sun. But if the summer is too dry, it becomes susceptible to mildew. Not to mention the little roots, which secretly incorporate the lower parts of the plant and occasionally cause an enigmatic phlox death. If you are one of those garden friends disappointed by the flame flower, you should give this genus a second chance and ask the large-leaf phlox in your bed. It defies summer heat better and also thrives in partial shade. The nice thing: the time of flowering from midsummer and the splendor is comparable to that of summer phloxes. If you simply love the phlox and want to extend the phlox season a bit, you can enjoy it from spring. In this case, the forest phloxes (P.divaricata) a good choice and open the flower series from the end of April. Their pleasant fragrance makes them particularly welcome garden guests. Speaking of which: on sunny, warm days, the flowers of the phlox smell more intensely. Actually. Because if you sniff a flower in the afternoon on a very hot summer day, it may be that it has already exuded its odeur and will only smell again the next day. The phlox is alive! And that's why it's always good for a surprise.that she has already exuded her odeur and will not smell again until the next day. The phlox is alive! And that's why it's always good for a surprise.that she has already exuded her odeur and will not smell again until the next day. The phlox is alive! And that's why it's always good for a surprise.

The phlox range of plants of the same name founded in Dieter Gaissmayer is particularly large. Unlike in many garden centers, which only offer the well-known summer phlox (Phlox paniculata), less well-known species are used here, which enrich the garden in unusual seasons: such as the forest phlox (P. divaricata), which blooms in spring, which also has the advantage that it thrives in partial shade. Or the varieties of large leaf phlox (P. amplifolia), which are ideal candidates for beginners and smart gardeners. You can discover all the variety on the homepage at www.gaissmayer.de.

Flame flower: proper care

The ornamental plant, which has many flowers, blooms (depending on the variety) from May to September in many colors and still requires little maintenance. Phlox gives full carpets of flowers to every garden - even for garden lovers without a "green thumb".

Phlox is available in many different varieties: as a low cushion perennial (up to 10 cm) or as a perennial phlox (up to 100 cm in height). The hundreds of single flowers of the flame flower shine in the colors white, pink, orange, red, red violet and blue violet. The most popular phlox varieties include the perennial forest phlox (blooming in spring), the evergreen upholstery phlox (blooms from April to May), the wandering phlox, the pre-summer phlox, the meadow phlox, the fragrant summer Phlox varieties or garden phlox that bloom until the first frost. The variety of the flame flower also gave the plant the title "Perennial of the Year 2006".

You can plant Phlox in sunny, sheltered places in the garden without any problems. The flat-growing upholstery phlox (flowering from May to June), for example, is ideal for the rock garden. The soil should be permeable and water-storing - in spring the flame flower needs a fertilizer from manure or compost. Perennial phlox (perennial phlox) is planted in autumn (planting distance approx. 40 cm). In spring, stimulate growth with a fertilizer (see above) and protect the perennial with a layer of mulch against excessive evaporation (do not cover the shoots!). If individual flower umbels have faded, remove the withered shoots to stimulate the plant to bloom again. In autumn you can multiply phlox by dividing the root ball. One year old phlox is brought up in the room on February,planted after the last night frosts in May (distance only a few centimeters) and torn out and composted after flowering.

Photos: Ulrike Linnenbrink / pixelio.de; Perennial nursery Gaißmayer