Friday, April 06, 2012

Mismarked Dianthus




Dianthus
Dianthus hybrid
(dy-AN-thus)

This was going to be a simple post about Dianthus ‘Ruby’s Tuesday’ but that is not this flower. It was marked as ‘Ruby’s’ but when it bloomed it had a lot more pink in the flower than that cultivar. Oh well, it is still a nice Dianthus. This is a flower I would rather look at then grow. They are pretty much an annual or biennial in my book. However if you located them right they can last longer than that and if you are really lucky they will form a colorful carpet for a few years. Over watering and overly rich soil are the main culprits in their not succeeding well.

Today I am going to buy a pair of gas powered hedge clippers probably the most misused piece of equipment in the history of horticulture. My use is to quickly knock off any of the errant growth on the seemingly miles of Boxwood hedge I take care of. After that anything else is pruned with hand pruners. It takes more time but gives a more natural appearance.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Dianthus thrive on a certain amount of neglect here! You have posted a beautiful one.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Dianthus fragrance gets me every time! Love that clove scent.
If I had electric hedge clippers I would use them on my ornamental grasses when getting rid of the old brown foliage before the spring growth emerges....but I don't have one.