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GARDEN ADVICE

How to Grow Pinks and Carnations

Pinks to me are the country cousins of the more sophisticated florists carnations.  They are not necessarily pink at all and come in a wide range of hues from white to cerise to purple and red. Pinks and Carnations belong to the genus Dianthus. Both have attractive flowers which are usually scented and have grey/green foliage. They can be divided into Old Fashioned Pinks, Modern Pinks, Border Carnations and Perpetual Flowering Carnations. Flowers come in single colours - known as 'self', two or more colours referred to as 'fancy' or edged in a different colour which is termed 'picotee'. They make great cut flowers and are best grown in a sunny site with free draining soil.

Old fashioned pinks such as Mrs. Sinkins (white) are low and spreading and produce lovely fragrant flowers in mid summer. However they flower only once each year. Modern Pinks were created by crossing Old Fashioned Pinks and Perpetual Flowering Carnations. They are more vigorous and will repeat flower during the summer, examples include Doris (pink) and Haytor (white). Border Carnations are more upright and taller. They reach approximately 1 metre in height which is double the size of pinks. They also have larger flowers which are borne about 5 to a stem. Like Old Fashioned Pinks they flower only once each summer. Perpetual Flowering Carnations are not hardy and must be grown under glass where they will, as the name suggests, bloom all year round for a constant supply of cut flowers.

Carnations and Pinks are not the most long lived of plants. They generally give a good display for 2-3 years before they need replacing. They can be grown from seed but only a few of the Dianthus species breed true from seed. Pinks are generally propagated by cuttings taken in summer. Remove a healthy shoot from the parent plant ensuring that it has 4 or 5 pairs of leaves. Cut off the bottom pair of leaves and insert the cuttings 4 cm apart into trays of sharp sand and peat substitute. Place in a propagator and mist every day for 2 weeks. The plants should root in about 3-4 weeks. They can be transplanted into 6 cm pots containing potting compost and grown on in a greenhouse or cold frame. Perpetual Flowering Carnations are propagated in much the same way.

Border Carnations are propagated by layering after flowering. Take a side shoot that has not flowered and remove all the leaves except the top 4 or 5 pairs. Cut into the de-leafed part to create a tongue or slither between the nodes. Put the wounded shoot into the surrounding soil which has been prepared by adding peat substitute and sharp sand. Stake the leafy tip of the layered shoot to keep it vertical. The wound should be kept open in the soil. When it has rooted the layered shoot can be detached from its parent and planted out.

Variations on the Dianthus theme include Sweet William, which is a favourite bedding plant and the tuft forming smaller species of Dianthus which are good for rock gardens such as Dianthus alpinus which grows to only 5 cm and that is about the long and the short of it.