How to Grow Creeping Flox

Decide whether your locality is conducive to the growth of creeping phlox. It is often found in the USDA plant hardiness zones of 3 through 8. Check your locale using the map, which can be found on the United States National Arboretum website.

Determine the location you want to cover with phlox. You can use this ground cover in such areas as around patios, near a water garden, or around shrubs. The plant will need full sun so consider this when planning. Creeping phlox can also be grown in hanging containers and the plant will cascade downward.

Choose the seed or seedlings you will plant. Creeping phlox plants exists in a variety of colors, including lavender, blue, fuchsia and pink. Purchase seeds or starter plants from a local nursery if possible, as these are likely to be suited to your area, or order from a seed catalog if this is not possible.

Prepare the soil in the location in which you will plant your seeds or small plants. Well-drained soil is best for growing phlox. Weed the area thoroughly with a hoe or by hand before putting down seed. Fertilize the soil lightly in preparation for planting.

Plant your phlox near the surface of your well-tilled soil. Arrange the soil over the top of seeds or pack loosely around seedlings. Do not bury any of the foliage of starter plants. Thoroughly water the area following planting, and repeat watering at least every three days in hot and dry weather.

Feed the plants with compost only once per spring. Dig up any dying patches as they occur. The cover will fill in bare spots rather quickly. Keep the tops trimmed down in other seasons aside from spring, in which your plants bloom. This will create a denser, lusher groundcover.