The stems are normally cut back after flowering to promote a second bloom. However, this eccentric plant can require some specific pruning. Cut the foliage back to approximately 1/3 before dividing the phlox, unless you are transplanting them in the spring when new growth is small. Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) is a low-growing, mat-forming plant that is often seen spreading as a ground cover, in rock gardens, and even in crevices of stone walls. When we hear discussions of cutting back in fall, it's usually about whether the tops of perennial plants should be pruned off. It’s also easier to remember where late-rising perennials are located in the spring when the stems are standing and thus avoid accidentally digging in that spot. An overgrown potentilla can be cut back in early spring to rejuvenate. Trim back the entire plants by one-third to one-half their height. If you have tall phlox, cut the stems back to about 1 to 2 inches above the soil after the first killing frost in the fall. Phlox is prone to the disease powdery mildew, which disfigures the plants from the bottom up, covering them in a whitish powder. Your plants will be bushier, and will have more flowerheads, but the heads will be smaller. These flowers tend to attract butterflies and other pollinators to a garden. Pinch it back by about 1/3. Plants that do not provide many benefits to wildlife or winter interest can be cut back in the fall to reduce labor in the spring. Yes, you can. When dividing phlox in spring, it should be done just as the new shoots appear. I would recommend doing it quite soon, due to the height of the plants. It blooms in the late spring to early summer with clusters of fragrant, five-petal flowers that stretch almost an inch across. Splitting phlox plants can be done in spring or fall, but should never be done on hot, sunny days. Shorter phlox varieties such as creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, and moss phlox (Phlox subulata), hardy in USDA zones 2 through 8, need to be cut back after they finish flowering. Seedlings from named cultivars revert to the magenta pink of the plain species plant. If that's not enough, next year you can do it by 1/2 or even a little more, but for this year try 1/3. A phlox plant can be a beautiful addition to any garden. If you want to keep this plant healthy during the long winter months, so that it comes back vibrantly in the spring and summer, it's important to provide winter care for the plant. Care of creeping phlox also includes cutting the plant back in late winter/early spring prior to new growth to allow for rejuvenation and to produce young, more compact stems. Divide tall garden phlox every 2 to 3 years to ensure healthy and disease-free plants. I would let them be right now. Creeping phlox, Phlox subulata, is a stunning low-growing perennial that creates a striking carpet full of 5-petaled blooms in radiant hues of reds, purples, blues, pinks and whites in late April and May.Typically reaching a mere height of 6 inches, but often spreading to 2 feet, it is a great choice for a groundcover. (See local frost dates.) Healthy phlox plants can be cut back by half after the flowers fade from late summer to fall to prevent reseeding. In my climate, I leave perennial foliage over the winter to hold leaves and snow as extra insulation; but you'll probably cut yours down after the first frosts. Perennials to cut. Garden phlox will die back to the ground in winter and reappear in spring. Water well after pinching. Remember to remove the dead/faded flowers so that your plants can rebloom. This eccentric plant can require some specific pruning to one-half their height be pruned off more flowerheads, but heads! 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