The best varieties of phlox of domestic selection

Russian phlox growers have something to be proud of. In the field of phlox selection, we are, perhaps, "ahead of the rest of the planet." No wonder the Dutch are so fond of coming to our exhibitions and visiting the gardens of our breeders. I'll tell you right away how the variety differs from a seedling: only a registered seedling is called a variety. Unfortunately, at present in Russia and in Moscow, few people register their seedlings. But registering a seedling and turning it into a variety is not yet a guarantee of phlox quality. At the same time, in our collections you can find many interesting seedlings that have stood the test of time and therefore are quite worthy of the title of the variety.

Pavel Gavrilovich Gaganov is the most famous Russian originator of phlox. Back in the pre-war 1937, he created phlox Success, who later became a popular favorite. It is difficult to find today a phlox lover who does not have this variety. Among the varieties of Pavel Gavrilovich, one more very unpretentious and therefore common variety should be noted - Olenka... This phlox can even be planted upside down, but it will still grow and bloom. Success and Olenka - two of the most suitable varieties for hobbyists starting to collect a collection of phlox.

It is to Gaganov that we owe the appearance of smoky phloxes. In 1935 he bred Smoky coral with unusual color of petals, pink with smoky dusting. In the sixties, smoky varieties such as The Dragon (1958), Dusk (1953), Ural tales (1953). In this group, one phlox is better than the other, it is difficult to single out some very best. The color of the Dragon variety is such that even an inexperienced phlox grower will never confuse this variety with any other. Each Gaganov variety has its own "face, its own flavor." Smoky phlox Uralskie tales is not inferior in popularity to the Dragon, there is something fascinating in this variety. Attention is drawn to its bright color, curled edges of the petals. Now in Holland a new phlox series is being created on its basis - Mystique Series.

Pavel Gavrilovich is the author of the first large-flowered variety with a flower size of more than 5 cm. This phlox is called Slav (1936), it has a large dense inflorescence, delicate lilac-pink color of the petals. Even in our time, there are quite a few varieties with this size of flowers.

The famous Russian breeder has many excellent varieties, unfortunately, not all have survived. The brightest among them are Gaganov's favorite, Gaganov's fire, Svyatogor... Regarding the Pet, one can say: "The spool is small, but expensive." A short, sturdy man with a dense inflorescence has a bright unique color, velvety flowers, do not fade in the sun. Look at the phlox of the great master and be sad with me that there is no such garden in Moscow where you can admire the flowering of phlox. Near Berlin there is a garden of Karl Forster, a famous German breeder who created his varieties at the same time as Gaganov. Flower lovers from all over the world go on excursions to this garden. In 1958, Pavel Gavrilovich created a new phlox and, as a sign of respect for the outstanding breeder, named it Karl Forster.

I dare to hope that we will not be sad for long. A member of our section, Igor Matveev, a biologist by education, a phlox guide by vocation, became the curator of the phlox collection in the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University. And our section decided to help in creating a truly unique phloxarium, where there would be plots with varieties of well-known breeders, with varieties - winners of exhibitions of the phlox section from 1967 to 2010, with phloxes of the modern Moscow breeder Yuri Andreyevich Reprev.

Simultaneously with Gaganov in Ukraine, Ekaterina Dmitrievna Kharchenko worked in the National Botanical Garden of Kiev, her varieties New, Childhood, Apple tree color, Nikolay Shchors, Kiev festive, Taras Shevchenko loved by many connoisseurs of phlox. These are phloxes with a quality mark.

Another woman in the same years became the author of very famous varieties - this is Maria Fedorovna Sharonova, her best and most famous varieties Margri, Maria Fedorovna, Maria.

We were lucky that Yuri Andreevich Reprev, carried away by collecting phloxes, in the 60s met and met with the well-known breeders of that time P.G. Gaganov, A.P. Popov, E.D. Kharchenko. Meetings with P.G. Gaganov aroused his interest in breeding work. From his collection we obtained many domestic varieties of phlox.

You can write a poem about the varieties of Reprev, it remains only to wonder how a person, in his free time from work, created so many beautiful phloxes. This variety is widely known to lovers: raspberry Pushkin, blue-white Zhukovsky, light blue Blue joy, smoky Čiurlionis, Secret, Gray-haired lady, pink Aelitonok, Bogatyr, Katya-Katyusha, purple violet Moscow secret, lilac Russian and Sandro Botticelli, light purple Naughty and many others.

All of these phloxes have passed the test of time and the "test of strength", they are widely represented in the collections of members of the phlox section and in the gardens of Muscovites, they are often shown at exhibitions. This is the most objective criterion for the success of a variety.

I am often asked at lectures which phlox is better, Russian or foreign. I honestly admit right away that I prefer to have Russian varieties in my garden. Most of the foreign phloxes coming to us are industrial varieties. If you need to plant a field, clearing or lawn in the park, then they are good, they are created for this, they have medium-sized flowers, small inflorescences, strong stems, but they lack zest. Give our soul originality and beauty at the same time. If the size, then Russian, so that the flower is more than 5 cm, if the color is not the same as everyone's, hence the appearance of smoky phlox and the priority in their creation. Remember the large-flowered varieties of Elena Alekseevna Konstantinova: Master, Olympiad, Miss Olga, Mirage, Igor Talkov, Vladimir... What foreign varieties can compare with them! A Michelle Mercier Olga Borisovna Shevlyakova! Where can you find such a bright color burning in the sun? There are no such modern foreign varieties that the color is five points and the size is larger than ours. And all because our phloxes are exclusive piece goods, and foreign ones are in-line production.

Members of our section have been actively engaged in and continue to breed new phlox. We have many beautiful, worthy seedlings with the characteristics of the variety. Many of them have stood the test of time, found wide distribution and gained fame (Milky Way, Blue porcelain, Crown Fetisova I.V., Versace, Vision, Florence Kololenkova T.N., Heat, Kuma Kulikova E.F., Anna Maria, Hat of Monomakh, Sophia, Silver ring Khvatova V.N., Isabelle, Michelle Mercier Shevlyakova O.B.).

Have Wentz violet-lilac center and silvery-gray shading along the edge of the petals. The bush is not very tall, but the inflorescence is large, rounded-conical, as it blooms, it becomes even larger due to lateral shoots. White and lilac Kumas so dense inflorescence that leaves are practically not visible. Michelle Mercier - the first beauty at the phlox flower ball. It looks especially attractive in a sunny place, where a burning purple color is visible in all its glory, which is very advantageously emphasized by an even darker center with bright yellow stamens. Vision - phlox with a quality mark. He has everything for five with a very big plus: a beautiful pink-lilac color, a dense, elongated inflorescence, large flowers and a long flowering time. Phlox Monomakh's hat really good for a number of parameters, its flowers are velvety, purple-purple, the inflorescence is large. At our phlox exhibitions, he was among the prize-winners.

Most recently, Teplova N.L. showed their first works. and the Kruglovs. Attracted the attention of pale pink Ariadne, lilac with a dark pink ring in the center Shimmering, bright reddish orange with haze Gunsmith Teplovoy N.L. Visitors of the exhibition really liked the lilac-lilac Cornflower and hot pink Vasilisa Kruglov.

But it is best to visit our phlox exhibitions and see everything with your own eyes. I invite flower lovers to admire phlox at our summer exhibitions. There you yourself can get acquainted with new and old foreign varieties, and with the achievements of the Russian breeding school and make your choice.