Annuals & Biennials

Dianthus
pink, sweet William

- Height 8-24 in (20-60 cm)
- Planting distance 6-10 in (15-25 cm)
- Flowers early summer until first frost
- Well-drained garden soil
- Full sun
- Hardy annual or biennial

Dianthus is a large genus of mainly perennials, but it also includes two species that are usually grown as biennials and annuals: Dianthus barbatus (sweet William) and D. chinensis (Indian pink). Both have fragrant flowers in shades of pink, red, cream, and white. They appear in summer against a foil of narrow green leaves and are excellent as cut flowers. The annual and biennial dianthuses are particularly useful for urban and seaside gardens, as they tolerate air pollution and salt spray.

Popular species and cultivars
Dianthus barbatus (sweet William) is often grown as a biennial. During early summer and midsummer it bears dense heads of sweetly scented single or double flowers in combinations of white, pink, and red. An enormous range of sweet William cultivars are available. Most are the standard 1-2 ft (30-60 cm) high, but a few dwarf cultivars, reaching just 8-10 in (20-25 cm) high, can also be found. Popular cultivars include 'Auricula-Eyed' (a mixture of pink, red, and crimson flowers with conspicuous white eyes), 'Dunnet's Dark Crimson' (dark crimson), 'Dwarf Double Pinochio Hybrids' (dwarf mixture, ideal for containers), 'Excelsior Mixed' (to 11/2 ft/45 cm; pinks and reds; fragrant), 'Harlequin' (pink and white ball-shaped flower heads), and 'Indian Carpet' (dwarf bedding mixture with long-lasting flowers). Dianthus chinensis (Indian pink) has a range of cultivars, which are grown as hardy annuals. The plants are small and compact with pale to midgreen grasslike foliage and attractive flowers with notched petals in shades of red, pink, and white. Often the blooms have patterns or darker central zones. They are borne from midsummer until the first frost. Indian pinks reach 1 ft (30 cm) high, making excellent edging for borders. They can also be used in formal beds. Popular cultivars are 'Baby Doll' (mixture of large single flowers in shades of crimson, rose-pink, and white), 'Color Magician' (an F1 hybrid with colors ranging from white through pink to deep rose on the same plant), 'Fire Carpet' (single, bright scarlet), 'Magic Charm' (fringed; pinks, reds, white, or bicolored), 'Snowfire' (white with scarlet center), and 'Telstar' (early flowering; bright crimson, pink, white, and bicolored).

Annuals
and
Biennials