Phlox 'Amazing Grace'

Phlox 'Amazing Grace': White Spring Blanket With a Coloured Eye

So many tiny white stars with purple-red eyes that you can barely find a leaf underneath. This creeping phlox rolls out a carpet so thick the rest of the rock garden FEELS UNDERDRESSED.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Phlox subulata 'Amazing Grace'
• Common Name: Creeping Phlox, Moss Phlox
• Height: 10–15 cm (4–6 in)
• Spread: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Flowers: Small, star-shaped, white with a purple-red eye, produced so heavily they nearly hide the leaves
• Bloom Time: Mid to late spring (May to June)
• Foliage: Dark green, needle-like, evergreen, forming a dense mat
• Features: Salt tolerant, evergreen groundcover

Where to Plant: It's made for rock gardens, slopes, the top of a retaining wall and the front edge of a sunny bed. Plant it between flagstones or let it spill over a curb, where its salt tolerance helps near driveways. The tray of small pots makes it easy to cover ground quickly.

Companion Plants: Let 'Amazing Grace' carpet the front of a sunny, dry bed with pink pea flowers, orange coneflowers and creamy sedum. Sedum Puff Pastry™ White Chocolate adds creamy white heads at 30 to 35 cm from August to October. Echinacea Sombrero® Adobe Orange brings orange coneflowers at 46 to 51 cm from June to September. Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Truffles' adds soft pink spikes at 120 to 140 cm in June and July. Bouteloua curtipendula stands behind at 60 to 75 cm in flower, a native side-oats grama.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in well-drained, sandy or gritty soil. Good drainage is the big one: it won't tolerate soggy clay, especially in winter. Space plants about 30–45 cm (12–18 in) apart and water regularly until they knit together, then only in long dry spells. After flowering, shear it back lightly to keep the mat dense and tidy. Skip fall pruning, and clean up any winter-browned bits in spring. Divide in early spring or after bloom if the centre opens up.

History: Creeping phlox is native to eastern and central North America, where it grows on rocky ledges, sandy slopes and open clearings. Its species name subulata means "awl-shaped", describing its sharp, narrow leaves, and 'Amazing Grace' is a favourite for its crisp white flowers with a coloured eye.

Final Thoughts: Evergreen, deer resistant and happy spilling over a wall. Plant it once and the slope stops being your problem. SLOPES, CONSIDER YOURSELVES HANDLED.