Phlox douglasii 'Crackerjack'

The 'Crackerjack' Douglas Phlox is a variety of dwarf Phlox or moss Phlox with a spring flowering that is as abundant as it is brilliant, a vivid magenta pink. It is a small, hardy perennial that forms a charming ground cover cushion and whose delicate foliage remains evergreen in winter. Its low, dense carpeting vegetation makes it well-suited for ornamental borders, paving, walls and rockeries.

The 'Crackerjack' Douglas Phlox belongs to the family of Polemoniaceae. It is a horticultural selection derived from the Douglas Phlox, a small perennial native to the mountains of the northwest United States. This little Crackerjack phlox has received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society for its ornamental qualities and performance in the garden. The plant does not exceed 10-15 cm (4-6in) in height but spreads at least 30 cm (12in), occupying up to 1 m² if the conditions suit. Its foliage is dense, composed of small pointed leaves, but not prickly, thin, lanceolate, dark green. The flowering takes place from May to June. These large inflorescences group multiple small flowers of 5 bright, luminous pink-red petals. Short peduncles carry them. The foliage remains attractive in winter. This little plant thrives in the sun, even intense or under light shade, in a light, humus-rich soil, not too dry. It is a plant that tolerates limestone.

The 'Crackerjack' Douglas Phlox is a rock garden plant above all. Once well established, it tolerates moderate drought reasonably well but does not tolerate very arid conditions. Plant it en masse, in the company of other varieties of pink, mauve or white, as well as with other perennials or undershrubs for rock gardens such as Teucrium, aubrietas, thymes, candytuft, Saxifrage, dwarf Asters, Silene maritima. Its compact growth also allows it to be cultivated in pots to pat the base of larger plants.