Plant of the Week - June 14, 2008

Dishing up Dianthus

Photo: Dianthus Raspberry Swirl 

My nursery colleagues rib me about growing so many different Dianthus, commonly called pinks or carnations. They have an old-fashioned appeal likely stemming from my work experience with antique plants at Old Salem, the restored Moravian historic site in Winston-Salem, NC.

I particularly love cheddar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) with their low-growing, compact mats of spiky gray-green to silvery foliage, pinked petal edges and patterned flowers. I plant them at border edges where their flowers and heady fragrance are easily enjoyed.

Loomis Creek offers: Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink', 'Firewitch', 'Bewitched', D. 'Spangled Star', Raspberry Swirl & D. carthusianorum & amurensis

Mark Your Calendars!

Saturday, June 14: Garden Conservancy Open Days in our region including 5 great gardens of friends Peter Bevacqua & Stephen King, Margaret Roach, Susan Anthony & Richard Galef, Gerald Moore & Joyce Nereaux, and Owen Davidson & Mark Prezorkski. www.gardenconservancy.org or www.opendaysprogram.org

June 21: Summer Solstice