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The Pleasure of Pinks by Stella Tracey 1999

The Pleasure of Pinks – a personal view
By: Stella Tracey, Plymouth (Reprinted by courtesy of the Cottage Garden Society)
Pinks are generally grown for the beauty and fragrance of their flowers but there are undoubtedly additional attractions for some in the varying colour and texture of their foliage as well as a wide range of differing growth habits. They also stay with you in winter (although sometimes with me they look as if they wish they had not, especially in damp soggy winters). Rather like many evergreen conifers which periodically undergo dramatic colour changes, many pinks show marked seasonal changes in their foliage which reach a crescendo as flowering time approaches. A meander along beside my 90 foot pinks border on a gentle slope facing south at the foot of a natural hedge (only a fool would attempt such a juxtaposition necessitating endless weeding) is a pleasurable affair even in the depths of winter. It is even better in May as flowering time approaches. Several different shades of dull and bright green reveal themselves shading into blue-green and grey-green and even towards purple as well as gun-metal and steel-grey, pewter and silver. Leaves may vary from being narrow and needle-like to being quite broad and strap-like in comparison. There are tight buns and untidy sprawlers, cheerful compact clumps, spiny perfect hemispheres, ungainly stragglers and dainty hummocks a few that creep and some that love to trail or hang over an edge. If one adds in the variation that can come in with a nicely contrasting calyx in the young flower buds, one can appreciate the opportunities for quiet enjoyment even before there has been any input from flowers. For my own comparison purposes some of my pinks are grown together in this way for although it has its drawbacks, there is a marvellous concentration of colour and scent over several weeks and out of season, there is still something to see. There are some amazing variations in size as well from a very small and tight version of Dianthus gratianopolitanus not much bigger than a 50p piece to the much taller Dianthus giganteus or even Dianthus arboreus. However, one of my favourites that will probably have a strong appeal for cottage gardeners is at neither end of the size scale but somewhere in between. This particular plant loves to trail and it has hung down from a raised bed in a great satisfying swag of greeny-grey foliage about 3ft long for the last five years. As flowering time approaches, the whole plant gradually erupts into a billowing mass of blooms, each bud showing a deep contrasting maroon calyx. The overall effect is very striking and the display lasts for several weeks. The flowers are single and fringed with delicate red markings in the centre and beautifully scented. As individual flowers, these are not among the most striking but the plant is so floriferous that the overall effect is quite stunning. The original plant was given to me as Dianthus serotinus although I have some reason to query this as certain features do not precisely match up in the species description. So far, all its progeny have turned out to be identical to the parent plant which is a surprise, considering the promiscuous reputation of some Dianthus and the large number of species and cultivars that grow
here. However I understand that certain species do breed true and this seems to be one of them. In particular, it seems to possess that desirable combination of an undemanding constitution and a great willingness to do well. Like us, Dianthus seem to vary enormously in their make-up. Some, like this one give of their best year after year while I have known others which turn up their toes at the merest hint of uncongenial conditions.
Although not endowed with quite such an iron constitution, a trio of pinks that grow here always cause great comment and interest when in flower although their foliage is nothing exceptional. One is called “Old Square Eyes’ although I very much doubt that it is old, it certainly looks old. The single flower is large with a white ground and a very distinctive salmon-pink central zone. This is very unusual in that the coloured area on each petal is triangular with the apex pointing towards the centre of the outer edge of the petal. From a distance, the impression gained is of a central square although a closer inspection reveals this to be a 5 sided ‘square’. When the flower is young, these two colour zones are sharply delimited but as the flower ages, the salmon-pink colour ‘bleeds’ out and gradually suffuses all the petals. Quite a few pinks change colour as they age in various ways but this is one of the most dramatic.
No such colour change occurs with the second member of the trio which is sold under the name of “Elizabethan’ but again has no claim to being an old pink as far as I am aware although it may resemble one. Also a single white flower but this time there is a central zone of the darkest black-maroon (like a blackberry) whose colour is carried in a thin wire-edge around the margin of each petal. There is an old pink called ‘Black and White’ of unknown origin which it appears to resemble although I hasten to add it no longer exists. Either way, this is a very unusual and distinctive flower with a striking impact. I can detect no scent in either of the two flowers just mentioned nor in the third member of the trio which is exceptionally difficult to propagate probably due to its great age. It is listed in the International Dianthus register as a 17th century pink of a painted lady type. Its foliage is exceptionally straggly but it makes up for this defect with glorious flowers of a deep raspberry pink ground irregularly splashed with flashes of crimson-black. It is indeed”Unique’ as its name implies.
For all-round good temper, vigour, scent and sheer flower-power, there is little to beat”Allspice’ and it has been a particularly pleasing sight flopping onto a path next to “Allspice Sport’ its exact reverse in colour. In general, it is not a good idea to grow members of the same genus in close proximity without other plants in association. I admit to allowing into my pinks border a range of thymes which enjoy the same conditions of sun and good drainage. The woolly-leaved thyme, Thymus lanuginosus is a particular favourite. The thymes tend to come into flower as the pinks are fading when it is time for dead-heading and “haircuts’. Unless seed is wanted all my pinks are dead-headed and those that are vigorous are given a “short back and sides’ immediately after flowering unless it is very hot and dry. I treat my pinks like strawberries in this respect. The resulting new foliage seems much better able to withstand the rigours of winter. It is important for the foliageto be exposed to as much of the low winter sun as possible as well as maximum air movement.
A word or two about my National Collection. When I started four years ago, it was not so much a question of where to start as where to end. With over 300 species of pinks and 30,000+ Dianmus hybrids, you can see what I mean! The other National Collections are devoted to Old Pinks and one to Malmaison carnations and as far as I am aware, there is no one officially collecting species. I wish there were! I particularly love the dwarf orv alpine’ pinks so my collection concentrates on them including both species and hybrids. Officially however, I have limited myself to four species and their cultivars and hybrids. These are Dianthus alpinus (very dwarf, very beautiful, very short-lived), Dianthus calli-zonus (the name means beautifully banded), Dianthus pavonius (I think the name means peacock-eyed and refers to the stunning peacock-blue eye shown only in the best forms of the true species) and our much-loved native Cheddar Pink, Dianthus gratianopolitanus. Its mouthful-of a-name refers to the city of Gratianus now known as Grenoble. It has an amazing range of forms and in general is very well-tempered as well as being sweetly-scented. There is evidence that the delightful little x Double Cheddar’ has been known and loved for centuries.
Primarily sun-lovers, most Dianthus are easy to grow in any well-drained garden soil of neutral or mildly alkaline character. A sandy loam is ideal. They do like an open position with free circulation of air around them. In general they are surface feeders and mine seem to enjoy a thick mulch of limestone chippings which helps to prevent root-scorch (hot tops and cool bottoms) and retain soil moisture. Whereas they hate a stagnant situation, they do seem to need plenty of moisture at the roots during flowering time. The aforementioned haircut treatment also helps to prevent a plant getting straggly. However, it is likely that an established clump will tend to die out in the centre. When this happens, a little garden compost or bonemeal mixed with limestone grit and soil and gently worked into the bare areas can sometimes work wonders. Better still, if after flowering a small amount of such top-dressing can be worked into the centre of the clump, this often prevents any central die-back altogether. Watch out for ants which love to nest in the clumps and can do a lot of damage if not spotted early.
There are a few nurseries which specialise exclusively in pinks and for the real enthusiast there is a Society devoted just to this one genus. It has provided me with a rich fount of knowledge and interest and I would not be without its quarterly publication – “The Gillliflower Times’ which achieves a marvellous blend of erudite scholarship and friendly informality. Unfortunately, there is not too much opportunity to meet with other members since the Society is American ! There is a British equivalent but it is in no way comparable being very focused on showing and winning prizes and mainly centred in the midlands and north. One day, I dream there will be something comparable for us Dianthophiles over here….........