Creeping / Moss Phlox (sun)

Phlox subulata
Yes — eastern US Phase 1 · Anchors & quick wins Sun Accents
☀ Light
FULL SUN (6+ hrs) — the exception
💧 Water
LEAN, well-drained — hates wet feet
📐 Mature size
4–6 in mat
🌸 Bloom / interest
Magenta / pink / lavender / white carpet, early–mid spring
🍃 Foliage
Semi-evergreen
🌎 Native
Yes — eastern US
🦌 Deer
Sometimes browsed
🛒 How many
Test a few first, then mass
⚠ Sun + drainage plant. This is the exception in a shade garden. It needs full sun and will rot in moist clay — site and amend carefully.

Why we want it

Your sunny-spot showstopper — a spring sheet of color cascading over a wall or bank. The one place a sun-lover earns a spot in this shade garden.

Where it goes in our yard

ONLY genuinely sunny AND well-drained spots — the front flat near the street, a sunny lawn edge, or over a stone wall. NOT the moist shade.

Planting & care

The big risk on your moist, clay property: it rots from the center out in wet soil. Amend with grit/sand or mound it; full sun only; shear by half right after bloom to keep it dense. Plant in fall (Sept–Oct) or early spring.

What to buy

'Emerald Blue', 'Scarlet Flame', 'Candy Stripe'; buy in bloom to pick color.

Sourcing

Widely available at garden centers in spring. Confirm the spot drains before you commit a drift.

Read more at NC State Extension →