Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Linda Jo Conn / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Linda Jo Conn / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Joseph Aubert / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Joseph Aubert / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Annual Phlox
Phlox drummondii
Annual Phlox blooms from May through September.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Annual Phlox
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 2–11. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Annual Phlox
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Annual Phlox into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from May to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in April.
Comes in 5 varieties across 4 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Annual Phlox
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
A true Texas wildflower (Pride of Texas), named for Thomas Drummond, the Scottish botanist who collected it in Texas in the 1830s. per USDA
When it blooms
A cool-season bloomer whose window slides with climate: one source gives April to June, another May to July. The heaviest show is spring to early summer. per North Carolina and Missouri Botanical
Pinch for a bushier plant
Pinch the main stems of young plants to drive branching for a fuller, bushier plant with more flower heads. It is short, so it needs no staking. per Illinois and Missouri Botanical
Powdery mildew, the main disease
Its signature disease is powdery mildew, a grayish-white leaf coating worst in crowding, shade and humidity. Give plants room, water at the base, and clear diseased debris. per Clemson and Iowa State
Self-seeds readily
It reseeds itself easily in good conditions, so a planting can return from self-sown seed. Deadhead spent flowers to keep volunteers down where you do not want them. per Clemson and North Carolina
Draws bees, butterflies, hummingbirds
Fragrant, nectar-rich flowers draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. In the wild, though, it is pollinated almost exclusively by the pipevine swallowtail butterfly. per North Carolina
What pairs well with Annual Phlox
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Aster
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Hyacinth
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; opens in early spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Viburnum
Shares full sun and moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; both offer pollinator forage; stands well above at 6.6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Witch Hazel
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; stands well above at 9.8 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.