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Cure Nursery

Native Plants of the Southeast

Phlox subulata 'Amazing Grace'
Moss Pink, Moss Phlox, Mountain Phlox, Creeping Phlox, Rock Pink

Phlox subulata ‘Amazing Grace’ is a cultivar of Phlox subulata ssp. subulata (see that entry). The flowers of  ‘Amazing Grace’ are bright white with the tiny golden exserted stamens closely surrounded by small maroon markings (nectar guides) at the base of the petal lobes. The USDA plant distribution map linked below is for Phlox subulata ssp. subulata.

Last Updated: May 21, 2019

Key Info

Scientific Name: Phlox subulata L. ssp. subulata cv. 'Amazing Grace'
Common Names: Moss Pink, Moss Phlox, Mountain Phlox, Creeping Phlox, Rock Pink
Family Name: Polemoniaceae (Jacob's Ladder Family)
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Uses: Perennial Border, Rain Garden, Naturalizing, Butterfly garden, Groundcover, Rock garden, Edge plant, Sunny slope (erosion control), remediation on poor sites.
Light Requirement: Full sun, Partial/sunny
Moisture Requirement: Medium, Moist well drained
Leaf Retention: Semi-evergreen
Bloom Times: Apr, May
Flower Color: Purple, lavender, rosy pink, pink, white, or bicolored.
Special Characteristics: Attracts bees, Attracts butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Flowers fragrant, Tolerates dry conditions, Tolerates salt, Tolerates heat, Semi-evergreen, Reported to be deer resistant.

Additional Info

Habit: A semi-evergreen, mat-forming perennial with linear leaves and a shallow, fibrous root system. The spreading stems may become woody with age. This plant spreads by reseeding itself, not by rooting in at the nodes of prostrate stems like some other Phloxes.
Height: 3" to 9"
Spread: 1' - 2'
Growth Rate: Moderate
Soil Conditions: Medium to dry, well drained, circumneutral to slightly alkaline pH (but tolerant of slightly acid pH); plants tolerate sandy or rocky, disturbed, poor, infertile soil, clay.
Leaves: Leaves are linear and opposite and, unusually, with clusters of smaller leaves developing from the axils of the opposite leaves, causing them to appear whorled. Leaves are ¼ to 3⁄4 inches long, sessile, with entire margins.
Flowers (or reproductive structures): The corollas of the flowers are ½–¾" across and almost as long; they have narrowly tubular bases and 5 spreading lobes typical of Phloxes. The lobes are oblanceolate in shape and moderately notched. Within the narrow throat of each corolla, there are 5 stamens and a pistil with a single style, the stamens exserted. Solitary or small cymes of 2-8 flowers occur at the tips of stems on short pedicels (not on separate, flowering stems).
Fruit: Flowers develop into small, 3-valved seed capsules containing 3 or more seeds.
Natural Distribution: Rocky and sandy barrens, savannas, rocky ledges, slopes, clearings and disturbed sites in eastern United States.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 - 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: not available
Pollination: Long-tongued insects; Swallowtail butterflies, day flying Sphinx moths, Hummingbird moths and Clearwing moths; and hummingbirds.
Wildlife Connections: Attracts many pollinators.
Cultural Notes: Shear foliage back by ¼ to ½ after flowering to promote vigorous vegetative growth. Older stems that have become woody may also be removed to stimulate newer, more floriferous growth.
Downside: Phlox subulata and its cultivars do not seem to be bothered by powdery mildew to the same extent as are most other species of phlox (MoBot). Slugs can be a pest in overly moist sites, (source?) and spider mites in hot, dry sites. Plants lose vigor without annual shearing of the terminal stems after flowering. Also, foliar nematodes can be a problem during periods when the foliage is constantly wet or under high humidity. (osu.edu)
Propagation: Propagate by division of root ball in spring immediately after flowering every few years to obtain more plants and to keep the old plants healthy; or by transplantingof rooted stems; or by stem cuttings in spring.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov
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