Moss Phlox or Thrift Provides a Blanket of Spring Color

“Common” names often cause confusion about plant identity. The spring-flowering groundcover at my childhood home was always called Thrift. It wasn’t until I started working at a garden nursery that I learned that its true identity was Phlox subulata, pronounced FLOCKS sub-yoo-LAH-tah. Then a customer asked for Thrift but meant Armeria, also known as Thrift. The two Thrifts are completely unrelated. Armeria juniperifolia (juniper-leaved thrift) and Armeria maritima (sea thrift) grow up to one foot tall. One has sharp foliage like a juniper while the other has grassy-like foliage. Both are perennial in zones 4-9, and are salt-tolerant. Their flowers remind me of Scabiosa. The focus of today’s blog is Phlox subulata, an old-fashioned southern standby.

Phlox subulata is also known as Creeping Phlox, Moss Phlox, Rock Phlox, and Thrift. This evergreen perennial reaches only six inches tall, at most. It forms a tight mat of needle-like foliage that works well as a groundcover and is frequently used in combination with large rocks. The flowers are small (3/4 inch across, with five petals) but so numerous that they conceal the leaves, appearing like a blanket of color. Thrift is blooming right now in my area, with showy mats of pink, rose, white, light blue, or lavender flowers. It is often used on steep banks or slopes, where it will self-seed and spread to cover uneven terrain and prevent erosion. Give Thrift full sun or part sun in acidic soil. It requires little maintenance beyond a little thinning if it becomes so congested that it starts choking itself.

Phlox subulata is native to the US and will grow in zones 3-9. It is rarely bothered by insects or diseases. Deer do not normally browse Thrift; the flowers are favored by hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.

I planted a couple of these Phlox subulata under a new redbud (Cercis chinensis ‘Don Egolf’) last year. The color of the flowers is a near-match to the color of the tree’s blooms. They flower at the same time, and are neighbors to a yellow Forsythia, which provides a nice color contrast.

This thick mat of Thrift (Phlox subulata) has spread to replace grasses or weeds that might have grown under this fence, eliminating hand-weeding or string-trimming.

Tupelo, A Honey of a Tree

Tupelo, also known as Blackgum, is among the first trees to show fall color. Summer leaves are a pretty, shiny green. In autumn they turn fiery red, which you may have deduced from cultivar names like ‘Red Rage,’ ‘Wildfire,’ and “Firestarter.’ A few leaves will have yellow, orange or purple highlights. In spring, the nectar-rich flowers are a butterfly favorite but blooms are so small they are unnoticeable to humans. In late summer, female trees produce deep blue or purple fruit, a treat for turkeys, songbirds, bears, opossums, and raccoons. Honeybees produce a high quality, pale honey from Tupelo nectar.

Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica, pronounced NYE·suh sil·VA·tuh·kuh and mispronounced by me 100% of the time as NISS-ah) are native to the eastern US, and are hardy in zones 3 through 9. They prefer a moist, acid soil in full sun, but are adaptable to wet or dry locations, are wind- and salt-tolerant, are fire resistant, and will withstand some shade. They grow in sand, clay or silt soils.

While deer may nibble the tender new shoots in spring, they leave mature trees alone. The straight species and older cultivars may suffer from leaf spots, but this does not seem to harm the tree. ‘Red Rage’ and ‘Green Gable’ cultivars are resistant to leaf spot problems.

These are slow growers but can be induced to speed thing up by the addition of water and fertilizer. Mature height is typically 30 feet with a 20-foot spread, but in favorable habitats they may reach 90 feet or more. Tupelo Tower™ is a narrow cultivar, only 15 feet wide at maturity. A weeping cultivar is available, as is a variegated form, but I have not found those in local nurseries. A super-cool cultivar, ‘Zydeco Twist’ has gnarly, contorted limbs that make one think of Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, an unrelated plant.

Although leaves can be confused with those of common Persimmon (Diospyros) trees, Tupelo limbs emerge from the trunk at a 90-degree angle, which (along with their dark, blocky or ridged bark) makes trees easy to identify in winter. Tupelo leaves are clustered on short, smooth limbs, “spurs.” Persimmon leaves are not shiny, and occur all along the length of the limb. Tupelos have a tap-root structure that means they transplant best when young.

Brilliant fall color

Tupelo fruit

The beginning of autumn color change

Muhly Grass for Autumn Color

Autumn colors are orange, red, yellow, rust…and pink? Across the southeast, Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris, pronounced mew-len-BERG-ee-ah or mew-len-BER-jee-uh) is reaching its peak. We do not usually think of grass as a flowering plant, but there is no mistaking the decorative value of pink Muhly. Its feathery plumes float like clouds of pink cotton candy. A white-flowered form is available also but is harder to find than the pink variety. White varieties bloom a little later than pink forms.

 Mulhy is easy to grow in full sun, zones 6-9. Native to North America, it will grow in sandy, rocky, or clay soil. Avoid constantly wet soils. It is not troubled by insects or diseases, and is highly resistant to deer damage. Plants grow up to four feet tall and  three feet wide. Established plants are heat and drought tolerant. The narrow leaves sway gracefully in breezes. Flowering begins in autumn and is followed by attractive seed heads that persist through winter, providing food for birds. The purplish-pink form ages to a creamy tan color and the white form ages to an attractive gray.

 A standalone plant is attractive, but mass plantings of Muhly are gorgeous. Two pairings that are particularly attractive: Pink Muhly with purple-leaf Loropetalum,  or White Muhly paired with purple-flowered Mexican Salvia (Salvia leucanthemum).

 Plants may need to be divided every three years or so to avoid dieback in the centers. Give clumps a cleanup cut in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts, but do not cut so short that the crown is damaged. While some other grasses may become invasive, Muhly is well behaved and makes a perfect addition to the low maintenance garden.

Pink Muhly Grass used as an edging

Blooms look like cotton candy