Unusual Zaluzianskya and Night Phlox

Unusual Zaluzianskya and Night Phlox

Zaluzianskya provide more plants from the South African range of flora.

Zaluzianskya Ovata planted with Succulents

Zaluzianskya Facts

    • There are over 50 species of Zaluzianskya native to South Africa
    • It is a compact plant that seldom grows to more than 6in across and just a few inches high.
    • They have aromatic, evergreen foliage that forms a dense, neat dome.

  • Zaluzianskya ovata is frost-tender and short-lived perennial well suited for pots or alpine house growing.
  • In summer the plant is covered with deep maroon buds that look like match heads. These red-backed buds open white with lobed petals in summer. During the early part of the day these open but during the heat of the day they close up. In the evening they splay wide open and reveal a rich and overwhelming scent.
  • Zaluzianskya ovata needs a good, rich soil that is moist during the summer but well-drained in winter.
  • Performs best in moist but sharply-drained soil in full sun. Alternatively, grow under glass in an equal mix of loam, leaf mould.
  • Zaluzianskya ‘Semonkong’ may be hardier than Zaluzianskya ovata and is longer flowering, but goes leggy as the season progresses.
  • The annual, taller-growing Zaluzianskya capensis can be used in the front of a border or a container near your front door.
  • Don’t let the pots dry out in summer as this will make the stems of the plant become woody. They bloom on new growth, and they get woody if kept dry.
  • Cuttings are taken from the tips of non-flowering shoots. Insert them into a mix of peat and sand and keep in a shady place.
  • Sow the seeds of the annual Zaluzianskya either in pots in March and plant out in June, or directly into the ground in early June. If you remove the dead flowers, the plants will keep flowering until they are killed by the first frosts.
  • Zaluzianskya capensis ‘Night Phlox is available as seed from
  • Phlox from Thompson & Morgan
  • If you want to try a small flowering plant with a big scent then you could do a lot worse than try the Zaluzianskya family.

    Read more about how to grow Annual Phlox

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