Culture
Easily grown in average, evenly moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Plants require lots of sun for good flowers, but prefer cool summer temperatures. Plants generally perform best in organically rich, gritty loams in neutral to slightly alkaline soils. Good drainage is essential, but incorporating leaf mold and other organic material into the soil helps retain some moisture which is often needed in hot summer climates. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom. Consider shearing plants back after main flush of bloom in order to tidy the planting and to promote additional bloom in late summer or early fall.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Perennial dianthus, commonly called carnations or pinks, are loosely-tufted, herbaceous perennials that features fragrant, often double flowers on stiff stems clad with narrow, linear, gray-green leaves. Most hybrid carnations are crosses between three species: D. caryophyllus, D. gratianopolitanus, and D. plumarius. There are thousands of carnation cultivars and hybrids which have been developed over time for use in both outdoor gardens or under glass for the cut flower industry. Extensive breeding has produced cultivars in almost every shade of pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, and white, and ranging in size from 6” tall up to long-stemmed plants rising to as much as 4’ tall.
Large-flowered carnations today are divided for organizational purposes into two different groupings: (1) border carnations (fragrant double flowers on stems rising to 16” tall) for use in outdoor gardens and (2) florist’s carnations (fragrant double flowers on stems rising to 3-4’ tall) primarily grown in greenhouses for supplying the florist trade.
Genus name comes from the Greek words dios meaning divine and anthos meaning flower.
The common name of pink for plants in the genus Dianthus is in probable reference to the fringed flower petal margins (they appear to have been cut with pinking shears) and not to flower color.
'Rainbow Loveliness' is a clump-forming hybrid pink which typically forms a foliage mound of narrow, linear, bluish-green leaves rising 12-15" tall and spreading to 20" wide. Masses of heavily fringed, very fragrant, single flowers (to 1.5" diameter) cover the foliage mound in spring in a mixture of colors ranging from white to pink to rose to carmine to lilac with some bicolored and with some having contrasting eyes or rings. After flowering, foliage remains attractive throughout the growing season as long as soils are given consistent moisture.
Problems
Carnations are susceptible to a variety of fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens, including botrytis, rust, powdery mildew, leaf spots, and fusarium wilt. They are also susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, leafminers, spidermites, and scale. All these pest and disease issues are greatly exacerbated when carnations are grown under glass for cut flower production, and are less problematic when grown outdoors in a garden bed. Deer tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Rock gardens, border fronts, edgings, fragrance gardens and containers. Foliage can serve as an attractive ground cover for summer and fall. Also good for cutting gardens.