Pineland Phlox

Phlox nivalis (FLOCKS nee-VAL-is)

Family: Polemoniaceae Native Groundcover (<1 ft)

Groundcover (<1 ft)Native

This native perennial does well in the mountains, piedmont, and coastal plains of North Carolina. It flourishes in hot, well-drained sites, especially in the sandhill and dry habitats of central North and South Carolina. It has a tight 6 inch-tall evergreen mat of shiny, stiff, needle-like foliage with showy pink flowers that appear for a few weeks in spring. Trailing Phlox is a tough and hardy groundcover that is different from other species of Phlox in that it is semi-woody.and favors more acidic soil. More information on Phlox .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 61 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover (<1 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)

See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Phlox subulata

Fills a similar niche Phlox stolonifera Phlox subulata Verbena canadensis

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions

Plant type: Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle: Perennial; Woody
USDA zones: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture: Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH: Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage: Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space: 12 inches-3 feet
NC region: Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size: Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 8 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 3 in.
Canopy layer: 5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)

Form & Appearance

Habit / form: Mounding; Spreading
Texture: Fine
Foliage: Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color: Green
Leaf type: Simple
Leaf arrangement: Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape: Linear
Leaf margin: Entire
Leaf feel: Glossy
Leaf size: 3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present: No
Leaf detail: It has a tight 6 inch-tall evergreen mat of shiny needle-like foliage.
Flower color: Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value: Showy
Flower form: Cyme
Flower shape: Star
Flower size: < 1 inch
Flower detail: Purple to pink or nearly white flowers, with a darker colored tube and center, radially symmetric, with a slender tube, and abruptly spreading lobes.
Bloom time: Spring
Fruit type: Capsule
Fruit size: < 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail: a three-valved, three-chambered, egg-shaped capsule with one to three, relatively large (to 6 mm long), ellipsoid seeds per chamber
Stem detail: The sterile stems are trailing, decumbent, finely glandular-hairy, and somewhat woody, while the flowering shoots are more erect.

Wildlife & Ecology

Native status: Native
Origin: North America
Distribution: Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas
Wildlife value: Attracts hummingbirds
Attracts: Butterflies; Hummingbirds
Play value: Attractive Flowers; Defines Paths; Wildlife Food Source

Food & Medicine

Harvest time: Spring; Summer
Fruit type: Capsule

Landscape Use

Landscape location: Container; Hanging Baskets; Slope/Bank
Landscape theme: Drought Tolerant Garden; Native Garden
Design feature: Border; Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags: #hummingbird friendly #pink flowers #evergreen #shiny #white flowers #full sun tolerant #spring flowers #groundcover #native garden #spring interest #lawn alternative #food source spring #food source herbage #food source nectar #food source pollen #food source summer #acidic soils tolerant #sandy soils tolerant #dry soils tolerant #trailing #rock garden #edging #slopes #border front #woody #mounding #drought tolerant #spreading #well-drained soil #Audubon #butterfly friendly #container plant #pollinator plant #stream banks #perennial #wildlife friendly #NC native #NC Native Pollinator Plant #fpp

Problems & Resistance

Insect problems: Phlox Plant Bug and Other Lopidea Plant Bugs; Oriental Beetle; Fourlined Plant Bug
Disease problems: Black Root Rot on Ornamental Plants; Phytophthora Blight and Root Rot on Annuals and Herbaceous Perennials
Other problems: Cottontail Rabbit
Resistant to: Drought; Dry Soil; Heat
Propagation: Division; Seed; Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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