Sunday, April 26, 2009

Carpets of Purple Phlox


The spring wildflowers are blooming, providing feasts for the eyes on nearly every rural roadside.

The phlox are my favorites, so thick in places that they look like purple carpets along the roads and in the fields. Here, above, is a glimpse of what I see every day on my commute to my new job. (Remember, you can always click the picture for a better view.)

The key to encouraging the wildflowers is NOT MOWING THE GRASS. I've noticed this year that some places that used to be thick with phlox have been mowed, so of course there are no flowers at all where there used to be many of them.

In our front yard, we have some phlox that we are trying to encourage, so last year we didn't mow until all the phlox had gone to seed. I'm sure our neighbors looked askance on that particular practice, but our spot of phlox has expanded this year, so we will again follow the same practice. It would be wonderful if our whole front yard could one day be covered with phlox!


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