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Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Creeping Phlox blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Creeping Phlox
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 6 in tall and 20 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Is Creeping Phlox toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as non-toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Creeping Phlox
Plant Creeping Phlox in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Creeping Phlox get?
6 intall5 ft 7 inan adult20 inwideSee Creeping Phlox in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Creeping Phlox
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Creeping Phlox about 20 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Creeping Phlox to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Creeping Phlox's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Mt. Cuba Centerheight, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- The Morton Arboretumheight, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachheight, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Centerheight, sun and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun and bloom months and color
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterNative Plant Databaseheight and sun
- Native Plant Trust (Go Botany)Go Botany, Native Plant Trustheight and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 27 states and 5 provinces
United States: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and 15 more
Canada: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec
Recorded growing wild in 285 counties.
Also grows wild, but is not native, in Illinois.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Comes in 10 varieties across 5 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Every plant in the group blooms from April through May.
- Amazing Grace
- Candy Stripe
- Drummond's Pink
- Emerald Blue
- Emerald Pink
- Purple Beauty
- Red Wings
- Scarlet Flame
- Snowflake
- White Delight
Compare every variety in the Creeping Phlox group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing Grace | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 16 in |
| Candy Stripe | Pink | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| Creepingthis page | Pink | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| Drummond's Pink | Pink | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| Emerald Blue | Blue | Apr–May | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 0.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Emerald Pink | Pink | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 16 in |
| Purple Beauty | Purple | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| Red Wings | Red | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| Scarlet Flame | Red | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| Snowflake | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
| White Delight | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 6 in × 20 in |
Good to know about Creeping Phlox
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Despite phlox's reputation for powdery mildew, creeping phlox resists it. Mildew is really a problem of tall garden phlox (P. paniculata), a different species. per North Carolina and Clemson
Bloom timing shifts by region
Its brief spring flush opens as early as February on the Carolina coast, but April to May in cooler and northern gardens. Timing slides with climate. per Clemson and North Carolina
Spider mites in heat
Its main pest. Mites flare on hot, dry, reflected-heat sites, speckling leaves yellow. A deep soak and a forceful hose-off relieve both heat stress and mites. per North Carolina and South Dakota State
Shear after it blooms
Its one routine cut: shear the whole mat back by one-third to one-half once spring bloom ends. This keeps it dense and stops a bare, woody center. per North Carolina and Missouri Botanical
Early pollinator magnet
One of the earliest things in bloom, so it feeds bees, skippers and butterflies (and draws hummingbirds) when little else is open. per North Carolina and University of Maryland
Deer-resistant
Less palatable to deer than other phlox, and it tolerates occasional browsing. No plant is deer-proof under heavy pressure. per North Carolina and University of Maryland
What pairs well with Creeping 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.
Dragon Slayer Adam's Needle Yucca
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Howard McMinn Manzanita
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; stands well above at 6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Red Yucca
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Big Bluestem
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Little Bluestem
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Purple Coneflower
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Exceptional Lavender
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
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