The genus Dianthus is gravid , but the popular garden flower are border carnations , mature about 2 1/2 foot . grandiloquent , with fine organize blooms and legato - edged petals , and pink in a spacious mixed bag of shapes , size and heights .
They need a sunny , well - drain spot , but are not suited to area which have severe winters . Any land suits them , so long as it is not very acid , and they are very liberal of lime . They can be planted during good weather condition in the fall or spring , setting them firm but not deeply , burying the roots but not the stem , procure to a 6 - in . stake if necessary . Planting length for borderline carnations is about 12 in . and for pinks about to in .
To improve soil before planting , excavate compost or well - waste manure below the first spit , and hoe bonemeal at 4 oz . per sq . yd . into the top spit . In spring a side - dressing of sulfate of potassium hydroxide at 2 oz . , or at 8 oz . , per sq . yd . is goad , but potash fertilizers should not be given in the fall as they make the stems brittle in winter . industrial plant in their 2nd and subsequent eld should have a side dressing of a balanced fertilizer .
Border carnations call for stake with a 3 - foot . cane , and they should be disbud to leave behind one bud on the central stem and one on each side stem , removing the others when about the size of it of a minuscule pea . pink are not disbudded , and seldom require staking .
margin carnations flower in July and August , and old - fashioned pinks in June , and apart from snap off the one-time bloom stem no peculiar handling is needed . Most modern garden pink flower a 2d sentence , and should be good water and then gift a dressing of complete plant food .
Border carnations are propagate by layer in July and August . choose a good side stem and clean off all the leaves from the low part , leaving five in full develop pairs at the top . bear on a thin - bladed tongue into the stem just below the low junction with leave on . switch off downwards through the joint below and turn the knife off from the center of the plant so as to land it out just below the joint . This leaves a tongue which open up out as the stem is bent down to the earth . If the stem is too stiff to bend down without snapping , offend it between the joints with the thumbnail or a dyad of slight pliers . campaign the subject knife into the land and secure it in position with a loop of wire . Prepare the background beforehand by working in a variety of equal part of sharp sand and peatmoss .
After enough layers are put down , they are water in and not allowed to become dry while rooting , which take about six week . They are then cut down away from the parent and allow for another week when they can be lift . They can be planted out flat or potted up for two calendar week before planting .
Pinks can be disperse in the same way , but normally film editing are take from late June to early August . Select strong side shoots for cuttings , and leave four or five fully developed brace of leaves at the confidential information . disrobe off the pair of leaves below this with a downward pull , discover the joint . Cut just below the juncture with a sharp tongue or razor sword . The cutting is slip in in arenaceous soil up to but not above the next joint , in a pot in a cold frame , expose to the sky but not the sun , water and save in a snug atmosphere for three to four calendar week , when top growth shows that it has rooted . The cuttings are then season off and potted up before planting .
Modern pinko sometimes institutionalise up the central root word to flower before proper side growth has been made , and if so they must be stopped . This is done when the plants have made ten to twelve join . Hold the 7th or 8th joint in one hand , and bend the top crisply sideway when it should snap off , or cut it off cleanly just above the stick .
moulding Dianthus caryophyllus should never be cease , and stopping may delay the anthesis of old - fashioned pinks for a time of year . However , a pink should never be allowed to bloom unless it has good side increment .
Recommended Varieties of Carnations and PinksThe follow varieties are easy to produce . All the pinks listed are scented ; the perfumed perimeter carnations are marked Sc .
Border Carnations:‘Robin Thain ’ , Sc . white;‘Merlin Clove ’ , Sc . white , score purple;‘Mendip Hills ’ , pink , flaked red;‘Catherine Glover ’ , ‘ Thomas Lee ’ , yellow , marked red;‘Leslie Rennison ’ , Sc . , rosy mauve;‘Harmony ’ , gray , flaked red;‘Alice Forbes ’ , white , mark pink;‘Fair Maiden ’ , white with red picotee edge;‘Marvel Clove ’ , Sc . , violet;‘Gipsy Clove ’ , Sc . , crimson;‘Salmon Clove ’ , Sc . , salmon pink;‘Lavender Clove ’ , Sc . , lavender;‘Beauty of Cambridge ’ , ‘ Mary Murray ’ , yellow .
Modern Pinks:(A tied pink is one in which a dark center geographical zone or eye is extended to form a loop of colour near the edge of the petal . ) ‘ Cherryripe ’ , bright pink;‘Doris ’ , salmon - pinkish , red eye;‘Constance ’ , burnished pink , paler edge;‘Laced Joy ’ , pink , laced crimson;‘London Poppet ’ , palest pink , laced ruby red;‘Timothy ’ , ‘ Freckles ’ , pinkish with red flecks;‘Show Aristocrat ’ , pallid pink , buff eye;‘Prudence ’ , palest pink , laced dark red;‘Swanlake ’ , white;‘Show Portrait ’ , crimson;‘Show Beauty ’ , deeply pink , maroon eye;‘Winsome ’ , deep pink .
Old - fashioned Pinks:‘Whiteladies ’ , white , substantially now than ‘ Mrs Sinkins’;‘Excelsior ’ , pink with dark eye , often called ‘ Pink Mrs Sinkins’;‘Inchmery ’ , pale pink;‘Dad ’s Favourite ’ , white-hot , laced purple .
carnation and Pinks Dianthus
