Phlox drummondii Tapestry Mix - seeds

Phlox drummondii 'Tapestry Mix' bursts with a multitude of cheerful colours all summer long. The small, single, white, pink, red, and violet, often even bicoloured flowers are carried on upright stems to brighten up flower beds for a long time. These very floriferous Drummond's Phlox can also be grown in flowering pots to decorate a terrace or balcony, and they provide pleasantly scented bouquets that last up to 10 days in a vase. This easy-to-grow annual should be planted in moist soil and preferably in a sunny location.

Phlox is the most well-known member of the small botanical family Polémoniacées, which includes a few other ornamental plants such as the Cobea, a pretty climbing annual. The Phlox genus includes around sixty annual and perennial species, with evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves, most of which are native to North America. Phlox drummondii comes from Texas, where it grows in the middle of coastal plains, in sparsely populated oak stands and sandy meadows. It is named after a Scottish naturalist, Thomas Drummond, who discovered it in 1830.

Tapestry Mix is a fast-growing annual plant that forms upright stems reaching about 45 cm high forming clumps about 35 cm wide. It has lanceolate light green leaves from which panicles of 2 to 3 cm diameter flowers develop. Composed of five joined petals, these simple flowers have an undeniable romantic charm, which naturally fits in cottage gardens. They are also ideal for a flower bed where they will flourish from June to September (or even October if sown in two successive waves to extend the flowering period). The corollas are white with a sometimes violet, sometimes purple heart, pale yellow, pink, red, or purple-violet, enhanced by darker central spots... This joyful diversity of shades allows for the creation of floral compositions that are attractive to the eye and pleasant-smelling. The flowers, which attract bees and butterflies, give way to small dark seeds that are very easy to sow.
These plants are easy to grow in pots on a terrace, they will flower more abundantly in the sun but will tolerate partial shade. The soil should be moist but well-drained and fertile, regardless of its neutral, alkaline, or slightly acidic pH.

The Tapestry Mix of Phlox is as valuable for adding colour to flower beds as it is for creating beautiful flowering pots. To further enhance their multicoloured blooms, plant or sow them in front of Cotinus coggygria Winecraft Black, which provides a purple background. This compact smoke bush is adorned with dark purple, almost black, oval foliage that turns red-orange in autumn, prolonging the spectacle. Its easily recognisable, purple "cotton candy" flowers are an extra ornamental touch. Lagerstroemia indica Black Solitaire Crimson Red, a Crape Myrtle with similarly almost black foliage, can also play this role with panache, offering a summer flowering of bright red. On a terrace, you can create a distinctive scene by associating your Phlox with Paradise Manihi sweet potato, with its dark bronze cut foliage, which will also reward you with succulent tubers at the end of the season.