Japanese name: キキョウナデシコ Scientific name:Phlox drummondii
[Overview]
An annual growing to 50 cm tall.
The stem is erect and has many glandular hairs.
The leaves are simple and opposite, but alternate in the upper part of the stem.
They are ovate to lanceolate, 3–7.5 cm long, with entire margins.
Dense cymes at the stem tips bear many flowers about 2.5 cm across.
The corolla is 5-lobed and opens flat.
The fruit is a capsule.
Garden cultivars come in a wide variety of flower colors, and there is also a strain called Star Phlox with star-shaped flowers.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It also spreads readily from self-sown seed.
It prefers a sunny site with fertile soil that is well drained and retains water well.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
For potted plants, apply slow-release fertilizer in spring and autumn.
Remove spent flowers promptly.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, gray mold, aphids, slugs, Geisha flatid planthoppers and cutworms.
