Drummond's Pink is a creeping phlox with rich rose-pink flowers, larger and deeper in color than older pink types. In mid-spring the blooms blanket a low, evergreen mat no taller than about 6 inches.
It is easy to grow and at home on slopes, in rocky areas and along the front of a border. The needle-like foliage stays green through the year, and butterflies and bees visit the spring flowers.
What it looks like
Flat, five-petaled flowers about 3/4 inch across in rich rose pink, with slightly notched tips and a darker rose eye, are packed so tightly that they hide the leaves. The foliage is tiny, stiff and needle-like, deep green and evergreen, on trailing stems. The plant forms a low, dense mat about 4 to 6 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide. At peak bloom it is a solid carpet of rose pink.
Growing it with lavender
Creeping phlox likes the same sun and well-drained soil as lavender, and its rose-pink carpet makes a neat spring edging along lavender beds, blooming weeks before the lavender does.
Care
Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil; it tolerates dry spells and dislikes soggy ground. Hardy in zones 2-9. After bloom, shear the mat back by about a third to keep it dense and tidy.
At a glance
-
Botanical name: Phlox subulata
-
Flower color: Rich rose pink
-
Foliage: Deep green, evergreen
-
Growth habit: Low, spreading mat
-
Mature size: 4–6 in tall × 18–20 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 2–9
-
Light: full sun
-
Bloom start: Late-April
-
Peak bloom: Early-May
-
Bloom pattern: Single Flush
-
Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
-
Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
