Phlox drummondii facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phlox drummondii
Scientific classification
Genus:	Phlox
Species:	drummondii

Phlox drummondii is a beautiful flowering plant often called annual phlox or Drummond's phlox. It belongs to the Phlox group, which is part of the Polemoniaceae plant family. This plant originally comes from Texas in the United States. You can often see it growing wild along roadsides in the southeastern parts of the country.

People love to grow P. drummondii in their gardens because it's a very pretty ornamental plant. Its flowers come in many amazing colors. You can find them in white, cream, pinks, purples, reds, and even colors that are almost black!

How Drummond's Phlox Got Its Name

This special plant is named after a Scottish botanist, Thomas Drummond. He was an explorer who traveled to Texas between 1833 and 1835. During his trip, he collected many different plant samples, including this phlox, and sent them back to Britain for study.

What Does Drummond's Phlox Look Like?

Drummond's phlox is an annual plant. This means it grows from a seed, blooms, and then dies all within one year. New plants grow from seeds the next year.

Plant Features

The plant has branches with long, pointed leaves. These leaves have tiny hairs along their edges. The flowers are round and can be single or double. They have a light, pleasant smell and flat, star-shaped petals. Each flower can grow to be about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) wide.

P. drummondii 'Twinkle Star' mixture

Growing Conditions

Drummond's phlox can handle cold weather quite well. However, it needs a lot of water to stay healthy. It doesn't like dry spells, strong winds, or very hot temperatures. If you want to grow it, make sure it gets plenty of water!