Dianthus Glamour Time™

Dianthus Glamour Time™: Hot Pink Glam on Blue-Grey Tufts

This cheddar pink never got the memo that the party ends at some point. Oversized hot pink flowers keep coming off a low, creeping mat for months, like it's wearing sequins to the grocery store. ALWAYS CAMERA READY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'G19-159'
• Common Name: Cheddar Pinks, Pinks
• Series: Bloomin' Easy®
• Height: 15–20 cm (6–8 in)
• Spread: 25 cm (10 in)
• Flowers: Single, hot pink, larger than typical for cheddar pinks
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Narrow, evergreen leaves in a dense, low, creeping mat
• Features: Long bloom season

Where to Plant: Use it to edge a sunny border or path, tuck it into a rock garden or a gap in a stone wall, or let it spill over the rim of a container. A row of them makes a neat, colourful edge.

Companion Plants: Iris 'Immortality' rises behind the pink mounds with white flowers in June and often again from August to October. Nepeta Whispurr™ Blue fills the middle with soft blue flowers from June to September, a cool partner for pink. To finish the year, Aster 'October Skies' carries lavender flowers in September and October. All three share the same full sun, giving a long run of bloom from early summer into fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun, at least six hours a day, in average, well-drained soil. Cheddar pinks are fine in lean, gritty soil but rot in wet winter soil, so improve heavy clay with grit or plant on a slight rise. Water through the first season, then mostly during long dry spells. Shear off spent flowers now and then to keep it tidy and flowering. Leave the evergreen foliage over winter and tidy it in spring. Divide every few years if the mat opens up in the middle.

History: Glamour Time™ is part of the Bloomin' Easy® line of easy-care plants. Its species, Dianthus gratianopolitanus, is native to the mountains and limestone cliffs of western and central Europe, including Cheddar Gorge in England, which gave it the common name cheddar pink.

Final Thoughts: Let it creep over a sunny rock wall and steal every photo. THE DEER CAN LOOK, BUT THEY'RE NOT INVITED.