Descended from Dianthus Caryophyllus, which is still to be found growing wild around the Mediterranean, the border carnations' natural habitat is rocky limestone, impoverished soil, where its long roots penetrate deeply into the soil.
Border carnations can be grown in the open in the garden or if you are showing under glass.
Looking to Dianthus Caryophyllus, border carnations prefer an environment where they are not shaded, there is plenty of free flowing air, the soil is well drained and is not acidic.
Garden Culture
Heavy soils will benefit from the introduction of sharp sand and grit to increase draining. Well rotted manure or compost should be added when the bed is dug and a light top dressing of lime should be added.
Lighter, sandy soils will need a moderate dressing of well rotted manure and a light dressing of lime.
Before adding lime, buy a soil acidity testing kit and find out what PH your soil is to inform how much lime may or may not be needed.
Raised beds though helpful are not essential but they can help with drainage.
Plants can be bought from specialist nurseries such as Allwood's and are usually available from September to October and from March to April.
Autumn planting is preferred as it allows plants to become well established before winter. If planting them in the position they will remain in, plant them 18 inches apart.
As the weather become warmer and the plants show signs of growing, a light dressing of fertiliser such as John Innes Base fertiliser can be hoed in.
When the plants begin to grow a flower spike ready to flower in June and July a three foot cane should be added to support the main stem. A light dressing on potash can be added.
The flower spike will have a crown bud, followed by a number of subsidiary buds. Leaving the main crown bud, remove the next bud and leave all the other buds. In short remove one bud only - the one subordinate to the crown bud.
Greenhouse Culture
Border carnations can be grown in greenhouses in pots of in a bed within the greenhouse. Growing a border carnation in a bed in a greenhouse is the same as growing then in the garden.
Remember they are hard plants and want lots of free flowing fresh air and light and the main reason border carnations are grown in a greenhouse to the produce show blooms that are protected from the elements.
Border carnations grown for exhibition are predominantly grown in pots. Plants should be potted though increasingly sized pots until they are finally growing in 8 or 9 inches pots.
Compost
John Innes Number 2 with about an additional third of peat and a quarter of sharp sand and grit. Lime stone chips placed in the bottom of a pot allow the plats to access lime. A little charcoal helps keep the compost sweet.
Border carnations though are fairly forgiving on composts are long as they are free draining and not acidic.
Propagation
Border carnations can be propagated from seed, from layering and from cuttings.
Seeds
Due to their mixed parentage border carnations are not true to colour if grown from seed. Seeds should be sowed when rip onto a free draining compost and covered with a little vermiculite.
Layering
Obtaining vigorous new stock of your adult plants can be done through layering in July by selecting the strongest, disease free shoots.
Water well the plants being layered the day before.
Layering consists of stripping off the foliage from the shoot leaving six or eight pairs of leaves at the top of the shoot from a joint.
Using a thin, sharp knife insert it into the centre of the stem below the bottom pair of leaves left on the stem and downwards and out through the next joint or node to form a tongue leaving the shoot attached to the plant by the other half of the stem.
Remove around 2 inches of dil around the top of the plant and replace with a 50/50 mixture of peat and sharp sand.
The prepared layer is then gently pushed into the layering compost and pegged in place. The layer must be in an upright position with the cut sides of layer being in contact with the rooting medium. Each layer is then covered with more compost and sand to retain moisture and exclude light.
Layers should be kept moist.
Cuttings
Cuttings should be taken as any other cutting, dipped in rooting hormone put in a rooting compost and kept moist.
If you have a propagator, rooting modules are a great invention.
Stopping
Border carnations should not be stopped otherwise the plant will not bloom.
Pests
Border carnation pests are few, the worst is the Carnation Fly, that deposits its eggs on the foliage. The grub hatches out and bores its way into the leaves, leaving a trail or grey patch. The fly is active from from early June until August. Leaves containing the maggot must be removed and destroyed and the maggot will eat its way through the plant or layer and kill it. Prevention measures can be taken by using systemic insecticides.
Thrips are a small fly that can suck the colour from a bloom leaving a white patch or patches.
Aphides. Will be got rid of by the use of systemic insecticides.
Red spider mite can be one of the most troublesome problems of greenhouse plants and houseplants. It can also attack garden plants during summer. It is a sap-sucking mite that attacks the foliage of plants, causing a mottled appearance, and in severe cases, leaf loss and plant death. Plants infested with glasshouse red spider mite show a fine pale mottling on the upper leaf surface. The underside of the leaves have many tiny yellowish green mites and white cast skins and egg shells. These are more easily seen with the aid of a x10 hand lens.
Red spider can be controlled with the systemic neonicotinoid pesticide acetamiprid (e.g. Bug Clear Ultra).
Natural controls include predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius, a predatory midge (Feltiella acrarsuga) and a rove beetle, Atheta coriaria.
Diseases
Border carnations are robust, healthy plants and only prone Mildew and Rust caused by damp conditions. Mildew can be cured by dusting the foliage and flowers with sulphur and Rust by spraying with a fungicide.
Saturday, 15 April 2017
Pink Classification
Classification by Flower Types
By From
Doubles. The outer petals should lie flat. The inner petals should lie regularly and smoothly over the guard petals, diminishing in size as they near the centre of the flower. They should form a flat rosette as the centre of the flower, but where the petals are very numerous the centre of the flower may be raised.
Singles. They should have five evenly shaped petals. Petals should lie flat at angles to the calyx. They should overlap sufficiently to prevent any space appearing between them, but so as to observe each other.
By colour
Self. Selfs should be of one distinct colour and have no marks of any other colour, except that a very slight shading at the extreme centre of the flower is allowed.
Bicolours. The two colours of bicolour should be in concentric rings, the inner one of which may be either small or large. The boundary between the two colours should be clear and distinct. It is desirable for the two colours to contract each other.
Laced. Laced pinks are two kinds (a) white ground and (b) other than white ground. The lacing should form a well-marked eye, from which a narrow band of colour should extends around the petal, leaving a clear patch of ground colour in the centre of the petal. The lacing either extends right up to the edge of the petal, or has a band of the ground colour outside it. Those flowers where such a band of ground colour is equal in width to the band of lacing colour are very desirable.
Fancies. All pinks which are not selfs, bicolour or laced are classed as fancies; for example those with speckles, radial strips or different coloured petals.
Dianthus Fimbriatus Plenus
White Fringed.
White Shock
Pink Fringed.
Damask Pinks
Named after the velvety appearance of their petals.
All Spice
Damask Superb
London Pinks
Raised by F. R. McQuown during the 1940's they were listed in Allwood's nursery catalogue.
London Delight.
London Girl. Dark crimson with crimson lacing and a white wire edge.
London Glow. Dark crimson with a white edge.
London Lady. Pink with a crimson edge.
London Lovely. A semi double of a white ground with crimson to the eye and laced edge.
London Poppet. A semi double, white ground stained with pale-pink and crimson laced.
London Superb. White ground, pale purple laced.
Painted Lady Pinks
Argus. Single, white ground with maroon eye.
Pheasants Eye.Single or double pale pink flowers, heavily fringed. Deep crimson eye.
Solomon. Single deeply fringed. Dark crimson with a lightest of lavender lacing. Also referenced as Ruffling Robin.
Unique. A single fringed. Deep pink to crimson at the eye.
White Pinks
White Fringed. See above.
Fimbriata.
Mrs. Sinkins. Raised by Mr. and Mrs. Sinkins around 1868. Full double, fringed petals, greenish towards the centre and strongly perfumed.
Laced Pinks
John Ball. White and purple-violet.
Laced Hero
Laced Joy
Laced Monarch
Lady Gloria
Prudence. Pale-pink ground, changing to white with deep crimson lacing.
By From
Doubles. The outer petals should lie flat. The inner petals should lie regularly and smoothly over the guard petals, diminishing in size as they near the centre of the flower. They should form a flat rosette as the centre of the flower, but where the petals are very numerous the centre of the flower may be raised.
Singles. They should have five evenly shaped petals. Petals should lie flat at angles to the calyx. They should overlap sufficiently to prevent any space appearing between them, but so as to observe each other.
By colour
Self. Selfs should be of one distinct colour and have no marks of any other colour, except that a very slight shading at the extreme centre of the flower is allowed.
Bicolours. The two colours of bicolour should be in concentric rings, the inner one of which may be either small or large. The boundary between the two colours should be clear and distinct. It is desirable for the two colours to contract each other.
Laced. Laced pinks are two kinds (a) white ground and (b) other than white ground. The lacing should form a well-marked eye, from which a narrow band of colour should extends around the petal, leaving a clear patch of ground colour in the centre of the petal. The lacing either extends right up to the edge of the petal, or has a band of the ground colour outside it. Those flowers where such a band of ground colour is equal in width to the band of lacing colour are very desirable.
Fancies. All pinks which are not selfs, bicolour or laced are classed as fancies; for example those with speckles, radial strips or different coloured petals.
Dianthus Fimbriatus Plenus
White Fringed.
White Shock
Sam Barlow. White with a dark centre.
Pink Fringed.
Earl of Essex. A light blossom pink.
Damask Pinks
Named after the velvety appearance of their petals.
All Spice
Damask Superb
London Pinks
London Delight.
London Girl. Dark crimson with crimson lacing and a white wire edge.
London Glow. Dark crimson with a white edge.
London Lady. Pink with a crimson edge.
London Lovely. A semi double of a white ground with crimson to the eye and laced edge.
London Poppet. A semi double, white ground stained with pale-pink and crimson laced.
London Superb. White ground, pale purple laced.
Painted Lady Pinks
Argus. Single, white ground with maroon eye.
Pheasants Eye.Single or double pale pink flowers, heavily fringed. Deep crimson eye.
Queen of Sheeba.
Solomon. Single deeply fringed. Dark crimson with a lightest of lavender lacing. Also referenced as Ruffling Robin.
Unique. A single fringed. Deep pink to crimson at the eye.
White Pinks
Fimbriata.
Mrs. Sinkins. Raised by Mr. and Mrs. Sinkins around 1868. Full double, fringed petals, greenish towards the centre and strongly perfumed.
White Ladies.
Laced Pinks
Dad's Favourite. White Edged with chocolate.
Gran's FavouriteJohn Ball. White and purple-violet.
Laced Hero
Laced Joy
Laced Monarch
Lady Gloria
Prudence. Pale-pink ground, changing to white with deep crimson lacing.
Hardy Border Carnations 1945 WM. & Sidney Smith Catalogue
Select list of Hardy Boarder Carnations
WM. & Sidney Smith, F.R.H.S., Barton Segrave, Kettering, Northants.
1945
Self Colour Varieties
Artists Model.Vermillion red, a fine variety for exhibition.
Afterglow.Golden apricot. A strong variety for border work.
Belle of Bookham.Unique colour, best described as rose-brule.
Bonnie Ann. A delicately formed flower of rose pink. Stiff stems.
Bookham Charm. A good soft pink. Excellent grower and good stems.
Bookham Crimson. One of the best crimsons. Large flower and good stems.
Bookham Gleam. Finest scarlet flower, glowing colour and very large.
Bookham Sunshine. A bright yellow self. Distinct, good foliage and stems.
Countess Lonsdale. Rich velvety crimson of wonderful texture.
Duchess of Wellington. A lovely shade of soft heliotrope.
Douglas Tyldesly. A fine orange self. Good form and robust growth.
Edenside Pink. A beautiful soft rose pink, recommended for exhibition.
Edenside White. A pure and lovely white of perfect form.
Elizabeth Shiffner. A golden orange self. One of the best.
Elliot Douglas. A beautiful clear flower of slate grey colour.
Ettrickdale. A clear yellow of good size and form.
Exquisite. Bright rose pink. Perfect form and large size.
Fortrose. Soft rose pink, fine upstanding variety, dwarf foliage.
Flambeau. A new colour of wonderful Lincoln red. Large flowers.
Golden Dustman. Nice flowers of true apricot shade.
Gordon Douglas. Glowing crimson self. One of the earliest blooms.
Grey Dawn. A wonderful shade of heliotrope grey. Large flowers.
Loch Nagar. Rich clear crimson. Unequalled for exhibition.
Margaret. A fine deep crimson of finest border habit.
Misty Morning. A soft grey lavender of fine substance and good form.
Mrs. A. T. Kemble.
Mrs. W. Thorburn.
Oakfield Mauve.
Peter.
Queen Mab. Deep old rose flowers on stiff wire-like stems.
Raymond Howe.
Royal Scot.
Sea Foam. A pure white of perfect border habit.
Stormy Petrel.
S. M. Kingsford.
Sunbeam.
Sunset Glow.
Teviotdale.
THorncliffe.
W. B. Cranfield.
White Ensign. A very large pure white self. Exceptionally stiff stems.
Loch Nagar. Rich clear crimson. Unequalled for exhibition.
Margaret. A fine deep crimson of finest border habit.
Misty Morning. A soft grey lavender of fine substance and good form.
Mrs. A. T. Kemble.
Mrs. W. Thorburn.
Oakfield Mauve.
Peter.
Queen Mab. Deep old rose flowers on stiff wire-like stems.
Raymond Howe.
Royal Scot.
Sea Foam. A pure white of perfect border habit.
Stormy Petrel.
S. M. Kingsford.
Sunbeam.
Sunset Glow.
Teviotdale.
THorncliffe.
W. B. Cranfield.
White Ensign. A very large pure white self. Exceptionally stiff stems.
Fancy Varieties
Aston Water. Pale soft pink, striped and flaked deep rose. Charming
Alice Forbes. Large well formed, white ground, evenly stripped rosy-mauve.
Autumn Tints. Russet orange at base of petals, edged and overlaid violet old rose. A fascinating variety.
Betty Thain. Bright yellow ground boldly marked rose.
Ben Screel. Heliotrope with base of petals salmon. Rather a rare colour.
Bookham Beau. Pure white ground, heavily barred and ticked scarlet.
Bookham Gem. Dazzling white ground, edged and pencilled soft silvery grey.
Bookham Lass. White ground, lightly barred delicate Tyrian rose.
Borderer. Buff apricot ground, marked and suffused bright rose pink.
Bookham Star. White ground, edged and marked rosy purple.
Butterfly. Deep silver grey, flaked with rich ermine, large flowers.
Catherine Glover. Very rich yellow ground, heavily barred and edged scarlet.
Columbine. Large white ground, evenly and charmingly marked cerise-pink.
Dainty.
David Douglas.
Delia.
Dr. Archie Cameron.
Desert Song. Base of petal salmon apricot, shading to lavender grey.
Douglas Fancy.
Ebro.
Edenside Fairy.
Facey Romford.
Fair Ellen.
Flora McIvor.
Florence Grisby.
Fred Ransome.
Glee Maiden.
Gondolier.
Graham Lowe.
Hadrian.
Happiness. Yellow ground margined scarlet cerise, of glowing radiance.
Hotspur.
Ivan Lowe.
Jean Armour.
Jeannie Deans.
John Mcfarlane.
Juna.
Ladas.
Lady Shackleton.
Lettuce. Soft apricot ground fancy, nicely suffused pink. Delicate colours.
Lucy Betram.
Maidens Blush. Pure white, heavily marked soft rose-pink.
Margaret Douglas. Deep yellow ground, striped rich crimson.
Mary Carmichael.
Mrs. E. Charrington.
Mrs. G. D. Murray.
May Morning. White ground,lightly and evenly ticked pale pink.
Mary Stuart. Lovely straw coloured fancy suffused rose-pink.
Midlothian.
Model.
My Fancy.
Ormond.
Paladin.
Persimmons. Bright sulphur, edged and barred with rich carmine-violet.
Prospero.
Quaker Maid.
Queen of Scots.
Rameses. Remarkable colour of rich apricot tending to scarlet with shades of purple and lavender.
Rene Dowling.
Robin Hood.
Rosemary.
Saladin.
Sea Eagle.
Sea Swallow.
Spangle.
Sweet Anne Page.
The Baron.
The Moor.
Unique.
Veld fire.
W. H. Brooks.
Winifred Knapton.
Zebra. Curiously marked maize yellow ground, striped crimson maroon.
Zephyr. A lovely buff ground fancy, heavily suffused rosy-pink. Distinct colouring.
Clove Scented Varieties
Aisle Clove. A pure white ground heavily marked with ox-blood crimson.
Arctic Clove.
Bookham Fragrance.
Bookham Perfume.
Camrose Clove.
Cardinal Clove.
Chaste Clove.
Edith Mustow.
Elizabeth Malster.
Enchantress Clove. Pale apple blossom pink. Very fragrant, good grower.
Glamorous Clove. A lovely carmine lake shade. Perfect flowers.
Imperial Clove.
King of Cloves.
Lavender Clove. Large flower of grey lavender shade. Strong scent.
Lilac Clove.
Majestic Clove.
Marvel Clove.
Merlin Clove.
Mrs. A. Brotherstoni. White ground, suffused and spotted crimson-purple.
My Clove.
Oakfield Clove.
Perfect Clove.
Redbraes Clove.A lovely bright-red, of large size and good shape.
Roslin Clove.
Royal Clove.
Salmon Clove.
Silver King. Silver grey, slightly flaked maroon and crimson. Beautiful foliage and the strongest stems. Heavily clove scented.
Surrey Clove.
Tyrian Clove. A fine purple self. Good habit and strong scent.
Violet Clove. Bright violet carmine, an old favourite.
New and Recent Varieties
Bookham Ace. Pure white ground, marked brilliant Tyrian purple. A flower of great beauty and of the best form and habit.
Cameo Thain. One of the best recent introductions, pure white ground profusely marked and ticked lavender, compact grower, stif stems.
Clove of Tyre.
Eborian. A delightful flower, chocolate, marked scarlet and maroon. One of the largest blooms.
Edenside Glory.
Fair Maiden.
Fascination.
Guisachan.
Harriet Harrow.
Highland Lass.
Inez Blair.
Jean Kennedy.
Jeannie Thain. Yellow ground, evenly marked rosy lavender and lightly flecked rose.
Kathleen Davies.
Leslie Rennison.
Liet. Douglas.
Limpsfield White.
Muriel Hawtin.
Robin Thain.
Rosy Morning.
Sister Teresa.
Hardy Border Carnations
Descended directly from the species Dianthus Caryophyllua, border carnations are the only truly hardy carnation for growing in the open garden.
Border carnations have been known to survive winters more extreme than those in Britain.
Understood to have been introduced into England from the continent around four - five centuries ago, the flowers were semi-doubles according to some illustrations.
Successive breeding developed the exhibition blooms we see today, with the closing days of the 19th century being the borders heyday when they were bred almost entirely for showing. The most popular borders at this time being Bizarres, Flakes and Picots.
At this time all the flowers had a white ground. The Flakes had one contrasting colour and the Bizarres had flakes of two contrasting colours alternating upon the pure white ground.
Today border carnations are divided into Selfs, Fancies and Picots.
Selfs are one clear colour, free from any shading or marking. Older articles describe the usual colours as white, scarlet, crimson, yellow, apricot, pink, heliotrope grey, purple and old rose.
The British National Carnation Society today lists the colours of Selfs as pink, salmon, rose, cerise, scarlet, crimson, white, cream, mauve, purple, lavender, yellow, apricot, orange and any other.
Fancies are divided into white group fancies, yellow ground fancies and any other colour ground fancies.
White and Yellow ground fancies have stripes, flakes or ticks of a contrasting colour or colours. The stripes are usually of crimson, scarlet, pink or violet. Sometimes the contrasting colours are shading or flushing which is more prevalent with the apricot and yellow varieties.
Fancies of a ground colour other than white or yellow usually have contrasting stripes, flakes or ticks of scarlet, crimson, pink or purple, on a ground of heliotrope-grey, pale pink or light purple.
Picotees are clear white or yellow and marked on the edge of the petal only with a narrow margin of a contrasting colour.
The current list (2017) of Border Carnation classifications published by the British National Carnation Society are:
Heavily Scented
Border carnations have been known to survive winters more extreme than those in Britain.
Understood to have been introduced into England from the continent around four - five centuries ago, the flowers were semi-doubles according to some illustrations.
Successive breeding developed the exhibition blooms we see today, with the closing days of the 19th century being the borders heyday when they were bred almost entirely for showing. The most popular borders at this time being Bizarres, Flakes and Picots.
At this time all the flowers had a white ground. The Flakes had one contrasting colour and the Bizarres had flakes of two contrasting colours alternating upon the pure white ground.
Today border carnations are divided into Selfs, Fancies and Picots.
Selfs are one clear colour, free from any shading or marking. Older articles describe the usual colours as white, scarlet, crimson, yellow, apricot, pink, heliotrope grey, purple and old rose.
The British National Carnation Society today lists the colours of Selfs as pink, salmon, rose, cerise, scarlet, crimson, white, cream, mauve, purple, lavender, yellow, apricot, orange and any other.
Fancies are divided into white group fancies, yellow ground fancies and any other colour ground fancies.
White and Yellow ground fancies have stripes, flakes or ticks of a contrasting colour or colours. The stripes are usually of crimson, scarlet, pink or violet. Sometimes the contrasting colours are shading or flushing which is more prevalent with the apricot and yellow varieties.
Fancies of a ground colour other than white or yellow usually have contrasting stripes, flakes or ticks of scarlet, crimson, pink or purple, on a ground of heliotrope-grey, pale pink or light purple.
Picotees are clear white or yellow and marked on the edge of the petal only with a narrow margin of a contrasting colour.
The current list (2017) of Border Carnation classifications published by the British National Carnation Society are:
Self - Pink, Salmon, Rose, Cerise
Bookham Peach
Chesswood Laura Chow
Spinfield Christine Anne
Eileen Neal
Chesswood Margaret Alison
Mary Conlon
Mystic Sunset
Pink Nuffield
Spinfield Party Dress
Welton Pink
Self - Scarlet, Crimson
Alfriston
Braeside Crimson
Countess of Lonsdale
Crimson Comet
Flanders
Grace's Scarlet Clove
Kathleen Hitchcock
Moor Simply Red
Richard Pollackl
Royal Mail
Scarlet Fragrance
Show time
Spinfield Crimson
Spinfield Leslie's Scarlet
Welton Red
Self - White, Cream
Bofield Antonietta
Bookham Spice
Edenside White
Eudoxia
John Thurstan
Nichola Ann
Spinfield Snowflake
Urpeth Diane Hammerton
Welton White
White Champagne
Whitesmith
Self - Any Other Ground
Belle of Bookham
Elizabeth Ruby
Grey Dove
Maise Neal
Spinfield Grey
Self - Mauve, Purple, Lavender
Mystic Mel
Pennine Purple
Vintage Special
Billie Boy
Self - Yellow, Apricot, Orange
Chesswood Lidgett Yellow
Clunie
Golden Cross
Lemon Dip
Lustre
Pennine Reflection
Robert Douglas
Sunray
White Ground Fancy
Alfred Galbally
Alice Forbes Improved
Annie Conlon
Carnival
Chesswood Dorothy Cottam
Chesswood Phil Dalby
Chesswood Sairah Nisa
Chesswood Wycoller
Egret
Elizabeth Nelson
Emjay
Forest Princess
Graham's Fancy
Harkell Special
Irene Della Torre
Isobel Kennedy
Jean Knight
Jill Ann
Kinnaird
Margaret Stewart
Urpeth Carol Anne
Robert Smith
Merlin Clove
Rudheath Ruby
Yellow Ground Fancy
Andrew Morton
Baron Mystic
Grangeburn
John Wood
Ken Stubbs
Mystic Dawn
Peter Gould
Show Girl
Spinfield Joy
Yellow Alice Forbes
Any Other Ground Fancy
A. A. Saunders
Avis
Bofield Claire
Border Raider
Braeside Boy
Butterfly
Fireglow
Forest Glow
Forest Sprite
Kathleen Sharp
Leslie Rennison
Lord Nuffield
Mike Briggs
Peter Wood
Sandra Neal
White Ground Picotee
Ann S Moore
Chesswood Barbara Arif
Eva Humphries
Lucy Hogg
Mary Robertson
Moor Maurice Richardson
Natalie Saunders
Pennine Charisma
Pennine Dazzler
Pennine Una
Rudheath Pixie
Eileen Galbally
Yellow Ground Picotee
Bens Croft
Bofield Emily
Hannah Louise
Pennine Dancer
Pennine Legend
Pennine Treasure
Any Other Ground Picotee
Jane Coffey
Margaret Bingham
Pennine Alazar
Heavily Scented
Graces Scarlet Clove
Merlin Clove
Bookhan Spice
Caroline Clove
Ailsa Clove
Leslie Rennison
Vintage Special
www.britishnationalcarnationsociety.co.uk
Pinks - A potted history
Dianthus Pulmarius is the predominant parent of the pink. It has sweetly-scented fringed-petaled flowers that range from pink to white-with-a-hint-of-pink.
Modern pinks, such as D. Herbetii and D. Allwoodii groups, have other blood in them, showing traces of perpetual border carnation ancestry.
The rarest of the native British Dianthus is the annual Deptford Pink, Dianthus Armeria. Once widespread around the Cheddar Gorge, the strongly-perfumed flowers of Dianthus Gratianopolitanus (previously known as Dianthus Caesius)were so popular with nineteenth-century gardeners that it was collected to near extinction. The most commonly-grown of the native species, Dianthus Deltoides, now only found in part of East Anglia, has creeping-dark green stems and small crimson-red flowers.
Some early authorities including John Claudious Loudon (1784-1843) considered the pink to have been bred from various historical parents including Dianthus Carsius and varieties of carnation rather than just being an improved cultivar of Dianthus Pulmarius.
Thomas Mawe in Every Man his own Gardener (1792) lists eleven pinks: Dobson, Deptford, Cob White, Cob Red, White Shock, Damask, Mountain, Matter, Old Man's Head, Painted Ladyand Clove Pink.
Older pinks may be dived into two classes:
1. Flowers of the "Delmonden Fairy" type, with stout, close and upright foliage with thicker flower stems and finer flowers resembling a little border carnations, possibly from an ancient natural cross and,
2. Those with small, dense foliage matted on the ground. Flowers being on thin erect, short stems like the old Pheasant Eye.
Pheasant-Eyed Pinks were referenced in the early 18th Century by writers on gardening but date back to the 17th Century and beyond. The centre of the flower is deep red and the fringed white petals have a red stain to their tips. The perfume is softer than other pinks.
Allwoods Heritage Garden Pinks - Pheasant Eye (Pre 1600's)
Plain Pinks and Laced Pinks were developed by muslin weavers from Paisley. Known as Scotch Pinks because of the Paisley cultivation, this name became attached to those varieties without lacing, "black and white". Dianthus Dad’s Favourite is thought to be one of the few surviving Paisley Pinks with white petals edged with a broad ruby-red line.
Laced Pinks with white ground were divided into dark-laced and fine-laced according to the depth of colour in their markings.
Rose Pinks are those where the ground colour was rose and the petals marked and laced with a darker shade.
Anne Boleyn is a Rose Pink and featured in the Florists' Magazine, 1835 - 36.
Jane Loudon - Artist's Biography
Dianthus plumarius. Sir Walter Scott, Duke of St. Albans, Anne Boleyn. Pl. 24. Lithograph handcolored, c.1840.
Dianthus Superbus pictured in the top left hand side of the picture below has a stonger, spicier perfume than Dianthus Plumarius with white spidery flowers that John Parkinson, the 17th-century gardener, described as "comforting the spirits and the senses".
The early 19th Century was the hey day of the pink. In The Flower Garden 91839) M'Intosh, the gardener to the King of the Belgians listed 192 varieties. Thomas Hogg, a nurseryman from Paddington London listed 121 varieties in his catalogue of pinks in 1822.
Most of the laced or scotch pinks from this period appear to have disappeared apart from Dad's Favourite. A number of the ordinary pinks from this time are still around such as Paddington, a rose-pink seated edged flower zoned with purple, the Earl of Essex, Inchmery, Painted Lady, Dark Eyes Susan and Fimbriata, Sutton Pink and Ledford Pink.
Few varieties were introduced between 1850 and just after the end of the first world war when Mr. C. H. Herbert started to raising pinks apart from Mrs. Sinkins and Her Majesty. Herbert pinks were developed using a number of old pinks. His outstanding variety is perhaps Bridesmaid.
After the Second World War the Lindabruce Nurseries crossed Herbert's varieties with Dianthus Allwoodii resulting in the Lancing pinks.
At the same time, Mr. F. R. McQuown in London was using D. Allwoodii and Herbert's pinks together with old laced pinks to raise the London pinks.
Allwoodii pinks were raised by Mr. Montagu. C. Allowed who after the First World War stared crossing perpetual-flowering carnations with the old fringed pinks, who were used as the seed-bearing parents. The resulting hybrid strain was named Dianthus Allwoodii. Scent was sacrificed for flower production, though Allwood’s best-known plant, Dianthus Doris does have a slight scent.
Dianthus Knappii is the only yellow-flowered dianthus.
Modern pinks, such as D. Herbetii and D. Allwoodii groups, have other blood in them, showing traces of perpetual border carnation ancestry.
The rarest of the native British Dianthus is the annual Deptford Pink, Dianthus Armeria. Once widespread around the Cheddar Gorge, the strongly-perfumed flowers of Dianthus Gratianopolitanus (previously known as Dianthus Caesius)were so popular with nineteenth-century gardeners that it was collected to near extinction. The most commonly-grown of the native species, Dianthus Deltoides, now only found in part of East Anglia, has creeping-dark green stems and small crimson-red flowers.
Some early authorities including John Claudious Loudon (1784-1843) considered the pink to have been bred from various historical parents including Dianthus Carsius and varieties of carnation rather than just being an improved cultivar of Dianthus Pulmarius.
Thomas Mawe in Every Man his own Gardener (1792) lists eleven pinks: Dobson, Deptford, Cob White, Cob Red, White Shock, Damask, Mountain, Matter, Old Man's Head, Painted Ladyand Clove Pink.
Older pinks may be dived into two classes:
1. Flowers of the "Delmonden Fairy" type, with stout, close and upright foliage with thicker flower stems and finer flowers resembling a little border carnations, possibly from an ancient natural cross and,
2. Those with small, dense foliage matted on the ground. Flowers being on thin erect, short stems like the old Pheasant Eye.
Pheasant-Eyed Pinks were referenced in the early 18th Century by writers on gardening but date back to the 17th Century and beyond. The centre of the flower is deep red and the fringed white petals have a red stain to their tips. The perfume is softer than other pinks.
Plain Pinks and Laced Pinks were developed by muslin weavers from Paisley. Known as Scotch Pinks because of the Paisley cultivation, this name became attached to those varieties without lacing, "black and white". Dianthus Dad’s Favourite is thought to be one of the few surviving Paisley Pinks with white petals edged with a broad ruby-red line.
Laced Pinks with white ground were divided into dark-laced and fine-laced according to the depth of colour in their markings.
Rose Pinks are those where the ground colour was rose and the petals marked and laced with a darker shade.
Anne Boleyn is a Rose Pink and featured in the Florists' Magazine, 1835 - 36.
Jane Loudon - Artist's Biography
Dianthus plumarius. Sir Walter Scott, Duke of St. Albans, Anne Boleyn. Pl. 24. Lithograph handcolored, c.1840.
Dianthus Superbus pictured in the top left hand side of the picture below has a stonger, spicier perfume than Dianthus Plumarius with white spidery flowers that John Parkinson, the 17th-century gardener, described as "comforting the spirits and the senses".
The early 19th Century was the hey day of the pink. In The Flower Garden 91839) M'Intosh, the gardener to the King of the Belgians listed 192 varieties. Thomas Hogg, a nurseryman from Paddington London listed 121 varieties in his catalogue of pinks in 1822.
Most of the laced or scotch pinks from this period appear to have disappeared apart from Dad's Favourite. A number of the ordinary pinks from this time are still around such as Paddington, a rose-pink seated edged flower zoned with purple, the Earl of Essex, Inchmery, Painted Lady, Dark Eyes Susan and Fimbriata, Sutton Pink and Ledford Pink.
Few varieties were introduced between 1850 and just after the end of the first world war when Mr. C. H. Herbert started to raising pinks apart from Mrs. Sinkins and Her Majesty. Herbert pinks were developed using a number of old pinks. His outstanding variety is perhaps Bridesmaid.
After the Second World War the Lindabruce Nurseries crossed Herbert's varieties with Dianthus Allwoodii resulting in the Lancing pinks.
At the same time, Mr. F. R. McQuown in London was using D. Allwoodii and Herbert's pinks together with old laced pinks to raise the London pinks.
Allwoodii pinks were raised by Mr. Montagu. C. Allowed who after the First World War stared crossing perpetual-flowering carnations with the old fringed pinks, who were used as the seed-bearing parents. The resulting hybrid strain was named Dianthus Allwoodii. Scent was sacrificed for flower production, though Allwood’s best-known plant, Dianthus Doris does have a slight scent.
Dianthus - A little history
Dianthus caryophyllus was described by Theophrastus as early as 300 b.c. Deriving the genus name Dianthus from the Greek Dios, divine, and anthem, a flower it was a five-petalled single flower of a pinkness-mauve colour and around one inch in diameter.
In Spain the carnation is called Clavel. Calves de Olar is a clove flavouring and it is thought the name Caryophyllus was given because of the similarity of the dianthus' scent to that of commercial cloves, the unopened buds of Caryophyllus.
Henry Lyte who translated the "Herbal" of Rembrandt Dodoens in 1578, was the first English author to use the name carnation.
Dianthus are lovers of sunshine and alkaline soil barring a few exceptions.
In Spain the carnation is called Clavel. Calves de Olar is a clove flavouring and it is thought the name Caryophyllus was given because of the similarity of the dianthus' scent to that of commercial cloves, the unopened buds of Caryophyllus.
Henry Lyte who translated the "Herbal" of Rembrandt Dodoens in 1578, was the first English author to use the name carnation.
Dianthus are lovers of sunshine and alkaline soil barring a few exceptions.
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Dianthus Pulmarius is the predominant parent of the pink. It has sweetly-scented fringed-petaled flowers that range from pink to white-wit... -
Descended directly from the species Dianthus Caryophyllua, border carnations are the only truly hardy carnation for growing in the open gard... -
Descended from Dianthus Caryophyllus, which is still to be found growing wild around the Mediterranean, the border carnations' natural h...