Overview

Transform your garden into a tapestry of color with the exquisite Phlox Candy Stripe live plant plugs. This delightful perennial is renowned for its unique and eye-catching pink and white striped blooms, which create a striking visual impact wherever they are planted. As a fantastic groundcover, ‘Candy Stripe’ Phlox spreads gracefully, forming a lush carpet of foliage adorned with an abundance of star-shaped flowers throughout its blooming season. Each order includes 2 vigorous starter plants, ready to establish quickly in your landscape. These young plants, while not yet flowering, are well-rooted and prepared to grow into mature specimens, offering years of beauty. Phlox subulata ‘Candy Stripe’, commonly known as Creeping Phlox, is a beloved choice for its hardiness and ability to thrive in various conditions, making it an excellent addition for both novice and experienced gardeners seeking reliable, beautiful, and low-maintenance flora.

The charm of Candy Stripe Phlox perennial lies not just in its vibrant colors but also in its versatility. It’s perfect for filling in gaps, cascading over retaining walls, or creating a colorful border. These live plant plugs provide an easy and effective way to introduce this stunning plant to your garden, ensuring a strong start for healthy growth and prolific flowering.

Key Benefits

The Phlox Candy Stripe live plant offers numerous advantages for any garden, making it a highly desirable choice for its beauty and resilience. Discover the key benefits these enchanting perennials bring to your outdoor space:

• Stunning Visual Appeal: Features unique pink and white striped flowers that create a vibrant and captivating display, adding instant charm and elegance to any garden setting.
• Excellent Groundcover: Spreads to form a dense mat of foliage, effectively suppressing weeds and providing a beautiful, low-maintenance carpet of color in beds, borders, and rock gardens.
• Hardy Perennial: Known for its robust nature, this Candy Stripe Phlox perennial is hardy in USDA Zones 3-9, tolerating cold winters and moderate heat, ensuring it returns year after year with minimal effort.
• Attracts Pollinators: The abundant blooms are a magnet for butterflies and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to a healthier and more vibrant garden ecosystem.
• Drought Tolerant: Once established, ‘Candy Stripe’ Phlox is relatively drought-tolerant, making it a water-wise choice for sustainable landscaping.
• Low Maintenance: Requires minimal care, thriving with basic watering and occasional deadheading, making it perfect for busy gardeners or those new to planting.
• Versatile Planting Options: Ideal for rockeries, slopes, pathways, container planting, or as a vibrant border, offering flexibility in garden design.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Phlox Candy Stripe live plant is straightforward, ensuring a beautiful display for years to come. These resilient plants thrive with proper attention to their specific needs. For optimal growth and prolific blooming, plant your Phlox in a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. While it can tolerate partial shade in hotter climates, too much shade may reduce flowering and lead to leggy growth. The ideal soil for this plant is well-drained and fertile, rich in organic matter, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot, so consider amending heavy clay soils with compost or sand.

Water your groundcover Phlox plants consistently, especially during their establishment period. The goal is to keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Once mature, allow the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced slow-release granular fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 formula, to support healthy growth and flowering. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen, as this can encourage leafy growth at the expense of blooms. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming and a tidier appearance. After the main flowering period, a light trim can help maintain shape and promote new growth. These plants are hardy in USDA Zones 3–9, making them suitable for a wide range of climates and able to withstand cold winters and moderate summer heat, ensuring your Phlox Candy Stripe care routine is manageable and rewarding.

Size & Details

You will receive 2 Phlox Candy Stripe live plant plugs, which are young, well-rooted starter plants. Each plug is approximately 1-3 inches tall upon arrival, ready for planting. While they are young and without flowers initially, they are primed for robust growth. ‘Candy Stripe’ Phlox typically grows to a height of 4-6 inches and spreads up to 18-24 inches, forming a lush, dense groundcover. These plants are shipped in soil, ensuring they arrive healthy and ready for transplanting. Expect these perennials to establish quickly and begin flowering in their first or second season, providing stunning pink and white blooms that become more abundant as the plants mature. They are known for their moderate growth rate, quickly filling in garden spaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Phlox Candy Stripe live plant typically grows 4-6 inches tall and spreads up to 18-24 inches wide, forming a dense groundcover. It’s an excellent choice for filling in garden spaces with vibrant color.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This Phlox ‘Candy Stripe’ is an outdoor perennial plant, best suited for garden beds, rockeries, and borders where it can receive ample sunlight and thrive in its natural environment.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: Candy Stripe Phlox perennial prefers full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal flowering. In very hot climates, it can tolerate some partial afternoon shade.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, ‘Candy Stripe’ Phlox is considered a low-maintenance plant, making it suitable for gardeners of all experience levels. Basic care involves proper watering, well-drained soil, and occasional fertilization.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: You will receive 2 well-rooted buy Phlox plugs, live starter plants, approximately 1-3 inches tall, shipped securely in soil to ensure their health upon arrival. They will not have flowers when they are young.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: The best time to plant Phlox ‘Candy Stripe’ plugs is in spring or early fall, allowing them sufficient time to establish their root systems before extreme temperatures.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Yes, this Phlox variety is hardy in USDA Zones 3-9, meaning it can withstand cold winter temperatures and will return reliably each spring in these regions.
• Q: What type of soil does it prefer? A: This plant thrives in well-drained, fertile soil rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0) is ideal for healthy growth of these groundcover Phlox plants.