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Our neighbor up the road had a 10 foot by 20 foot bare slope that went from the end of his lawn down to the drainage culvert the town had put in at the end of the highway. He had this on one side of his drive way and about 4 seasons ago I saw he had planted about 12 or 16 light lavender plants spaced widely apart on this bare slope.
The next season I realized his plants were ground covering Phlox and they were spreading out towards each other. By the time season 3 had arrived his Phlox were touching and now we look forward each spring to this magnificent matting of lovely lavender flowers.
I noticed this spring he was clearing off another 10 by 20 foot space on the other side of his driveway and he has now planted about 12 to 16 light lavender plants spaced widely apart on this bare slope. If anyone remembers Jack Nicholson’s part he played in “Is This As Good As It Gets?” then you will know our neighbor.
Some people know this wonderful ground cover as Creeping Phlox, Ground Pink, Moss Pinks, Flowering Moss or Moss Phlox, but its botanical names is Phlox sublata and it comes in hues of lavender blue, pink, white and red.
Most varieties thrive in zones 2 to 9 and some only in zones 4 to 9. The Phlox will grow in even the worst soils provided you keep it watered enough when you put in your plants until it can establish its root system.
The blossoms will come in early April and stay through May giving you a wonderful green mat of leaves that range from 4 to 6 inches high. One plant will cover about 3 square feet and are easy to maintain.
Creeping Phlox as a ground cover is very useful in covering hot, dry spots where it is hard to mow. They are often more decorative than lawns as our neighbor has proven to us and they are useful in planting above a hard to mow retaining wall and Creeping Phlox work their magic under heavily shaded areas under trees.
You can cut back each fall to increase dense growth. We look forward each spring to seeing our neighbor’s glorious display and about 5 years ago we planted a small flat of them in various places of our garden and it has increased in those places.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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