Planting Dianthus

Host: Gary Bachman, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist

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Find out when to plant dianthus for reliable cool season color today on Southern Gardening?

Let me get to the point, the perfect time to plant dianthus is when you plant your pansies. Dianthus and pansies are wonderful fall and winter companions. Dianthus are a versatile group of plants that we can grow in our Mississippi gardens and landscapes. My fall landscape is not complete without having dianthus to enjoy. I have to admit that my favorite dianthus for the cool season has to the Telstar series. There are great colors ranging from carmine rose, pink, purple and one that is almost red. There are a couple of pretty bicolors that are called picottees. Another good choice is the Super Parfait series. Super Parfait dianthus are known for their compact size and large 2 to 2 ½” diameter blossoms. Super Parfait Raspberry has gorgeous pinkish white flowers with crimson streaked petals and a dark eye. My favorite are the Super Parfait Red Peppermint flowers that are bright white with a red center eye. Dianthus are moderate to heavy feeders. At planting I always fertilize with a good slow release fertilizer, my preference is using Osmocote, placing about a tablespoon in the planting hole and then supplementing with monthly water soluble fertilizer. After the first flowering flush prune the plants back about three inches. This will encourage more lateral growth and even more flowers.

Until next time, I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman enjoying our Southern Gardening.