Steve Yoder
I'm Steve, a 30-something urban gardener fascinated by companion planting research. Growing up surrounded by greenery sparked my passion for gardening early on. I enjoy transforming my small backyard, experimenting with companion planting techniques and eco-friendly practices. Sustainability matters—I advocate for native plants and composting.
Table of Contents
Phlox is one of my favorite plants. It’s an easy-to-grow perennial that can take the heat, humidity, and drought of a southern garden. And it comes in so many different colors, shapes, and sizes! I love mixing up my phlox borders with other perennials or annuals to add fragrance, color, or texture. But what should you plant with phlox? In this article, we will have a look at the best phlox companion plants!
Best Phlox Companion Plants
Coneflower
Today we start our list of the best phlox companion plants with coneflower. Coneflower, commonly referred to as echinacea, is a perennial plant that reaches a height of approximately three feet. It features lovely purple and pink blossoms1 that draw butterflies and bees. Phlox benefits from this situation because it also loves the existence of beneficial insects. Coneflowers may be sown in the spring or the fall, and they will blossom during the summer afterward.
Another great news is that we have also prepared a list of the best coneflower companion plants! Check it out at the link below:
Hellebore
The next member of the best phlox companion plants is the hellebore. Hellebores need soil that drains properly and is in full sun. Before planting, make sure your soil drains effectively because they enjoy damp but not soggy earth. Hellebores may be positioned beneath trees or bushes to receive additional light because they can withstand the shadow. Hellebores have a lengthy blooming season from spring to October and are resistant to deer. Planting these hardy perennials in early spring or late summer will yield the finest results.
Lavender
Phlox pairs well with the aromatic shrub known as lavender.2 This phlox companion plant is resistant to drought and can be used as a decorative or therapeutic herb. Phlox is a fantastic match with lavender. They like being grown together and helping each other repel pests.
Also, check out our article about the best lavender companion plants:
Ornamental grasses
To add a bit more height and color to your phlox, you may also use ornamental grasses as phlox companion plants. If you want to arrange flowers for your house, these plants are excellent for cutting, so this is a method to keep them vibrant and fresh throughout the season. They bloom for a long time and entice butterflies to visit your garden. The atmosphere ornamental grasses provide, helps your phlox grow in a healthy environment. Like that, your phlox plants will grow out with their maximum potential.
Peonies
The next plant in our list of the best phlox companion plants are peonies. Phlox and peonies make a wonderful plant combination. Consider planting peonies beside your phlox if you want to increase the amount of color in your garden.3 The two plants look fantastic when planted together in the same bed or container!
Plants will blossom more abundantly if they are placed in regions with lots of suns. They also thrive in little shade, but they thrive best with at least six hours of direct sunshine per day.
Ensure that you have space for these large blossoms. Make sure you have adequate room before deciding where to plant your peonies, as they can grow up to 3 feet tall and broad after a few years. Also, keep in mind that it will take many years for your huge blooms to start appearing after they are established.
If you do everything right, peonies and phlox will make great companions!
Roses
Continuing our adventure on the best phlox companion plants we take a look at roses. Sometimes roses are not the best choice for other plants. On the opposite, the rose makes a nice companion plant4 for phlox. For instance, due to their potential for invasion, roses are not a good companion plant for some other plants. In this case, both plants enjoy being planted together, because they don’t compete over nutrients. Besides the negative aspects, roses still have many great companion plants, which we have prepared in another article.
You can have a look at them here:
Chives – Parsley – Thyme
With chives5, parsley, and thyme, we bring our list of the greatest phlox companion plants to a close. Phlox pairs well with several herbs. They typically grow slowly so as not to crowd out the blooms and are simple to weed. Just a few of the herbs that blend well together in your garden are chives, parsley, and thyme.
Of course, we already listed up companion plants for all these herbs too! You can have a look at them in the articles below:
What not to Plant with Phlox
When it comes to gardening, it’s important to take companion planting into account and to stay away from certain combinations that can harm your plants’ growth or health. If you read till here, you already know the exact list of phlox companion plants. Now, here are a few examples to keep in mind if you’re wondering what not to plant with phlox or which plants make bad companions for phlox:
Brassica
It’s best to keep phlox and members of the brassica family, including kale, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, apart. These plants exude substances that can stop the growth of nearby plants, including phlox. In order to prevent planting them together is probably ideal.
In the following article list you can find better companions for members of the brassica family:
- Kale Companion Plants – 4 Good & 4 Bad Neighbours
- 7 Best & 3 Worst Cabbage Companion Plants
- 11 Good and Bad Broccoli Companion Plants
- Cauliflower Companion Plants – 6 Good Ideas for You!
Potatoes
Potatoes: Another plant to avoid planting with phlox is potatoes. Potatoes produce solanine, a toxic chemical that can negatively affect the growth and development of nearby plants, including phlox.
Potatoes do better with other plants – find the best potato companion plants here:
Daylily
Finally, daylily is the last one in the list of bad phlox companion plants. Daylilies and phlox are both vivacious plants that spread quickly. They can crowd each other out when planted close together and compete for resources. It is advisable to give them different areas in the garden to promote their best growth.
Try out daylily with the plants in the article below:
References
- Kemery, R. D., & Dana, M. N. (2000). Influence of Inoculation with Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizae on Posttransplant Growth of Prairie Forb Seedlings. HortTechnology, 10(4), 768-772.
- Valiunas, D., Alminaite, A., Staniulis, J., Jomantiene, R., & Davis, R. E. (2001). First report of aster yellows-related subgroup IA phytoplasma strains in carrot, phlox, sea-lavender, aconitum, and hyacinth in Lithuania. Plant Disease, 85(7), 804-804.
- Cathey, H. M. (1981). Growing peonies(No. 126). The Administration.
- Riotte, L. (2012). Roses Love Garlic: Companion Planting and Other Secrets of Flowers. Storey Publishing.
- Vogl-Lukasser, B., Vogl, C. R., Gütler, M., & Heckler, S. (2010). Plant species with spontaneous reproduction in homegardens in Eastern Tyrol (Austria): Perception and management by women farmers. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 8, 001-015.