Gee, I'm jealous! I tried creeping phlox on the slope that runs along the front of my property along the street. The slope is split by the driveway. On one side, I finally gave up on pink phlox and decided to go with pink sedum. The phlox kept dying - but now so is the sedum! On the other side, I gave up on blue phlox and planted sedum kamschaticum which is doing very well. I did keep a small planting of blue phlox around a daffodil planting, interspersed with grape hyacinths and chionodoxa. But I see this year the blue phlox is not so great either, even though it's been okay for a few years. I think it's time to move on. There is a fast food place in town that has the most gorgeous slope of phlox - just breathtaking! If they can do it and I can't, well, it's time to try something else, lol! :) Dee

My creeping phlox are in well-drained sandy loam in a perennial bed, in dappled shade part of the day. They haven't been performing well over the past few years and were looking particularly scraggly early this spring, so while I was trimming up the edges of the beds, I decided it was all-or-nothing and cut them back seriously ... they filled out and bloomed more fully than ever before. Below is a link that might be helpful. http://plantfacts.ohio-state.edu/pocketgardener/source/description/ph_ulata.html Here is a link that might be useful: Ohio S. U. - Phlox Subulata

I trim mine a lot. The branches seem to have nodes that want to root, so I just cut it off and shove the root-like nubbins into some potting soil, water it, and then forget about it (and water it when I remember them). I've had a lot of success doing this. My problem is that sometimes I forget to transplant them when they have matured (a few months) and loose some roots removing them from the pots (the roots grow out the bottom of the little pots into the ground they were sitting on). I have never tried to uproot or divide these plants - only propagate through cuttings.

Creeping Phlox should be cut back after it flowers. If you prune too early you will cut off all the flower buds, or you may kill the plant. I consider creeping phlox a shrublet, so it should look woody. If you need to do some pruning, do so starting from it's perimeter. This time of year in your zone, Creeping Phlox will look woody. If it's still woody in the center during the flowering period, your phlox needs to be fertilized. I always fertilize with "Plant Tone" in early March to keep my plants healthy and lush.