Dianthus gratianopolitanus
Pheasant's eye pink
Common names: Cheddar pink, Grenoble pink, Pentecost pink
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 5 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- May–Jul
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Kurt Stüber [1] · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Pentecost pink, botanically Dianthus gratianopolitanus, grows naturally on sunny limestone rocks in the low mountain ranges and Alps. It forms dense, blue-grey, evergreen cushions of narrow leaves that reach only 10 to 25 cm in height. From May to July, with a peak around Pentecost, pink flowers with finely toothed edges open above the foliage and emit a strong clove scent. Even after flowering, the blue-grey foliage remains a calm backdrop for other plants throughout the year. In the garden, it belongs in rock gardens, on dry stone walls, in gravel beds and in troughs, where it thrives in warmth and lean soil. In the wild it is rare and protected, so it must not be picked or dug up. Plants and seed are available from nurseries, which also offer cultivars in various pink and red shades.
Care instructions
Plant the Pentecost pink in spring or September in a full-sun, warm position with lean, lime-rich soil. Do not plant it deeper than it was in its pot, and do not bury the root collar. Keep about 25 cm of spacing. A layer of grit around the cushions keeps the leaves and root collar dry. Water only during the first summer and during long dry spells, after which it manages on its own. No fertilizer is needed. Cut off the flower stalks after flowering and trim the cushions lightly to keep them dense. Divide every three to four years when the centre becomes bare. Common mistakes are waterlogging, rich soil and too little sun.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May
FloweringMay–Jul
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, lime-loving, dry
In the wild, the Cheddar pink grows on limestone cliffs and in rock crevices, and so in the garden too it needs chalky, poor and very free-draining soil. Stony, sandy or gravelly is ideal, and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH suits it. It does not tolerate waterlogging, especially in winter. Make heavy soil free-draining with plenty of grit, or plant it in a dry-stone wall or on a raised mound bed. In rich soil the cushions become soft and loose.
Feeding
Light feeder
The Cheddar pink needs no fertiliser. On poor soil the cushions stay dense and grey-blue, while rich soil makes them soft and reduces flowering. In a container, it is enough to replace the top layer of soil with fresh, mineral soil in spring.
Overwintering
The Cheddar pink is completely hardy and stays beautiful with its grey-blue leaves even in winter. Only wet is dangerous: a layer of grit around the cushions keeps the root collar dry. In very rainy winters, a spot under an overhanging roof helps. In a container, place the pot against the house wall, sheltered from rain, and water only when the soil has dried out completely.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Division
- From seed
The most reliable way to propagate the Cheddar pink is by cuttings: after flowering, in June or July, cut non-flowering shoot tips about 5 cm long, remove the lower leaves and insert them in sandy seed compost. Kept bright and not too moist, they root in three to four weeks. You can divide older cushions in early autumn or in spring. Sowing is possible from March, with the seeds covered only thinly, but cultivars do not come true from seed and are kept only through cuttings or division. Buy seed and plants from a nursery, and never collect in the wild.
For your garden
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