Dianthus Pretty Poppers® 'Kiss and Tell'

Dianthus Pretty Poppers® 'Kiss and Tell': Pale Petals Hiding a Red Kiss

White petals blushing pink with a dark red eye right in the middle, like it just got caught behind the garden shed. 'Kiss and Tell' is incapable of keeping a secret. THE WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD WILL KNOW BY TUESDAY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Dianthus hybrid
• Common Name: Pinks
• Series: Pretty Poppers®, from Walters Gardens
• Height: 20–25 cm (8–10 in)
• Spread: 41–46 cm (16–18 in)
• Flowers: Large, semi-double, white to blush pink flowers with a dark red eye and a sweet, spicy fragrance
• Bloom Time: Early summer, with rebloom into early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Blue-green, semi-evergreen, forming a low, spreading mound
• Features: Fragrant flowers and foliage, salt tolerant
• Plant Patent: USPP 32,227

Where to Plant: The pale flowers glow at dusk, so plant it where you sit in the evening: along a patio, near the front steps or at the edge of a sunny path. It fills pockets in a rock garden, edges a border and spills from containers. It handles the salty strip along a driveway better than many low perennials.

Companion Plants: Persicaria 'Superba' sends up soft pink bottlebrush spikes at 60 to 90 cm from May to July. Spigelia 'Ragin Cajun' brings red tubular flowers from May to July, picking up the darker tones in these bicolour pinks. Behind them, Anemone 'Prince Henry' carries rose flowers from August to October. Sun or part sun suits the whole group, with colour in every season.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil, ideally neutral to alkaline. Pinks rot in waterlogged winter soil, so lighten clay with grit or raise the planting slightly. Water through the first season, then only in long dry spells. Shear off the spent flowers after the first flush to tidy the plant and encourage more bloom. Leave the foliage over winter and trim any damaged bits in spring. Divide every few years if the centre opens up.

History: 'Kiss and Tell' comes from Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan, and belongs to their Pretty Poppers® pinks, a group bred for compact habit, long bloom and fragrance. Garden pinks themselves have been grown in Europe for centuries, prized for their clove-scented flowers.

Final Thoughts: Plant it by the gate and let it gossip to everybody who passes. SOME THINGS ARE TOO PRETTY TO KEEP QUIET.