Phlox McDaniels Cushion

Description

Phlox ‘McDaniels Cushion’ – moss phlox

Botanical name: Phlox subulata ‘McDaniels Cushion’
Common names: Moss phlox, creeping phlox
Family: Polemoniaceae
Plant type: Evergreen perennial
Habit: Low, spreading, mat-forming
Pot size: 1 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 10–15cm tall × 40–50cm spread
Foliage: Small, needle-like green leaves forming a dense evergreen mat
Flowers: Vivid rose-pink flowers smothering a dense cushion in spring (April–May)
Scent: Lightly scented
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained; poor to average; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H7 (very hardy, below −20°C); USDA zones 3–9
Exposure: Open, sunny
Native range: Eastern North America
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Phlox ‘McDaniels Cushion’ is a vigorous moss phlox forming a dense cushion covered in spring with vivid rose-pink flowers. Ideal for rockeries, banks and tumbling over walls in full sun, providing reliable groundcover.

GardenAdvice notes

A low, spreading evergreen perennial, moss phlox forms a dense carpet of needle-like foliage that vanishes beneath a sheet of flower in spring. Tough, drought-tolerant and reliable, it is superb cascading over walls and banks and carpeting sunny rockeries, and holds its green mat year-round.

Growing & planting

Plant in autumn or spring in full sun in well-drained soil; it tolerates poor and gritty ground and dislikes wet, heavy conditions. It is ideal at the top of a wall or bank where it can tumble, and in rockeries and gravel. Space about 40cm apart, allowing for its spread.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Shear it over lightly after flowering to keep the mat dense and encourage next year’s display and to stop it going bare in the centre. Water only while establishing. Avoid rich feeding and wet soil. It is evergreen, so earns its place all year.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take softwood cuttings in early summer after the post-flowering trim.
• Division: Divide or detach rooted pieces in spring or autumn.
• Layering: Peg down stems to root, then detach.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free. Powdery mildew and red spider mite can occur in hot, dry spells, and old plants may go bare in the centre without trimming. Otherwise little troubled and very tough.

Uses in the garden

Ideal cascading over dry stone walls and raised beds, carpeting sunny rockeries and banks, in gravel gardens and edging paths and borders.

Wildlife value

The spring flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and other early pollinating insects.

Toxicity & safety

Moss phlox is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

‘McDaniels Cushion’ is one of the most vigorous and free-flowering moss phlox, forming a really dense cushion that disappears under vivid pink in spring. As with all moss phlox, a light shear after flowering keeps it compact and full — the one small job that keeps it looking good for years.

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