How to prune smooth phlox

After flowering in early summer; cut to ground in late autumn. Remove faded flower clusters by cutting back to the nearest healthy leaf or side shoot. For the autumn cut-back, use pruners to take all stems down to a few inches above soil level.

Deadhead once post-bloom; hard cut-back annually in autumn. Smooth Phlox is a native woodland-edge perennial that needs modest pruning. Deadhead spent blooms after the early-summer flowering period to keep the plant looking tidy and reduce self-seeding. Cut all stems to the ground in late autumn once foliage has died back naturally.

Remove faded flower clusters by cutting back to the nearest healthy leaf or side shoot. For the autumn cut-back, use pruners to take all stems down to a few inches above soil level.