Thu–Fri 8–4 · Sat 8–2
Sun
Part sun
Water
Average
Height
4–9 in
Bloom time
Mid-spring
Bloom color
Purple
Deer
Resistant
Zones
4–9
Zones 4–9Deer resistant

Creeping Phlox 'Sherwood Purple'

Phlox stolonifera 'Sherwood Purple'

Deep violet-purple spring flowers over trailing evergreen mats. The native phlox for shaded paths, slopes, and the ground under trees.

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Pricing

Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup

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No payment online · we pull, you pay at pickup.
Pickup address
125 Clover Hill Lane
Woodville VA · 22749 · open in Maps
Next pickup days
  • Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
  • Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
  • Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Why we grow it

The fragrant, deep-purple shade groundcover for spring. a woodland phlox that delivers flower show, fragrance, and year-round evergreen coverage in one plant.

'Sherwood Purple' is a selected form of native creeping phlox with deep violet-purple flowers, more saturated and richer in color than many phlox cultivars, held above trailing mats of evergreen foliage in mid-spring. The flowers are fragrant, releasing a sweet, slightly spicy scent when you kneel down in the garden on a warm April morning. The prostrate stems root as they spread, gradually covering ground under deciduous trees or along shaded path edges with a mat of dark green leaves that holds through winter. Unlike moss phlox (Phlox subulata), which needs full sun and lean soil, creeping phlox is a woodland plant adapted to moist shade and rich soil. It's the native phlox for under trees, shaded slopes, and north-facing borders. The 'Sherwood Purple' cultivar was selected specifically for its deep color and compact, dense spreading habit. Plant it along a shaded walkway where you'll brush against it in spring and catch the fragrance, or use it as a weed-suppressing groundcover under shrubs where less-visible plants would go unnoticed.

What you're getting

A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.

Healthy, container-grown creeping phlox 'sherwood purple' propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.

Plant this, not that

Plant creeping phlox 'sherwood purple' instead of Periwinkle (Vinca minor) as a flowering shade groundcover. Same job in the garden, without the spread.

Quick factsat a glance
Sun
Part sun
Water
Average
Mature size
4–9 in · 12–24 in wide
Bloom time
Mid-spring
Bloom color
Purple
USDA zones
4–9
Family
Polemoniaceae
Native range
Appalachian region from Pennsylvania south to Georgia; rich, moist, shaded woodland floors
How to grow it

Care notes for creeping phlox 'sherwood purple'.

Part to full shade, moist to average, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Amend with compost at planting. Mulch annually with shredded leaves. Shear back by one-third after blooming to encourage fresh growth and maintain compact form. Water during establishment; drought tolerant once rooted. Divide and replant rooted stems in fall to fill gaps. No serious pest issues.

Pairs well with these.

Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside creeping phlox 'sherwood purple'.