Dianthus for 2010 - Anyone?

Well, I brought several of my potted annuals into the house. Dianthus was one of them.

They have been doing ok so far and today I cut them back. They had bloomed but got a little spindly under the lights so it was time for a trim. Needed to clean their "mess" up! All summer long I cut them back and they came back blooming even more.

Guess time will tell if I "done them in"! Or how well they will continue to do under the lights in my office! They will probably eventually go dormant or die.

So what are your plans for 2010 with dianthus?

I plan to grow these again and also sweet williams.

Do you know what kind of Dianthus is in your photo? I have one medium sized dianthus blooming in the yard right now. I'll take a photo tomorrow. I've tried growing carnations down here twice, but haven't had much luck. I get flowers eventually, but the stems all flop over. I have to constantly stake them in several places to get them to look ok. I've tried many different colors of Chabaud Giants, Stripes & Picotees, Peach Delight, Can Can Scarlet. Can Can Scarlet bloomed the best but it still required staking. Am I doing something wrong or are they just leggy plants?

Jon

Here are some of the flowers..ima guessing a picotee on all colors. I dont know thought and will have to see if I still have the labels. Picotee is generally the common sale items at the nurserys here and I got the starts at a nursery with the exception of a couple plants I got in trade, but they were similiar in type.

I am also beleiving mine got spindly after I moved them from outdoors to under my grow light indoors because they were prompted to reach for the light.

When they were outdoors this summer, they performed much better and did not seem to mind that occassional shearing down like the first photo. I suspect that the ones i have going now will die back and go doremant or die completely eventually as that is what a biennial will do. I dont think I can fake it out under extended hours of light for too long without more humidity and in a few weeks after turning the heat on in my house, the house becomes very dry. Right now, it is cool in temperature 55-65 degrees, maybe a wee bit warmern in the south room, but not by much. So those are my growing factors for you to compare.

I can post individual shots of the colors as we post more here. BUt here is the group!

I just love carnations, sweet william and dianthus. Cant get my fill of them!

Here are some of the cuts off of todays trimming... the dark purple is a snapdragon to which I also sheared my house snaps down as they too got spindly and the orange in the middle is an impatien.

Now the snaps, they behaved better outside, liked to be sheared back and were just a low growing variety of NOID persuation. Had several colors and paid $2 a flat on a clearance of some pathetics that I saved most of their sorry necks from dying this spring and summer! LOL! Great buy, nice flowers after they recovered! (I love deals like that! They were not diseased, they just did not water them and they were pretty sorry looking in the flat, but not sorry enough to say dont buy me!)

Jon, Ima thinking too, the legginess is due to lacking some fertility.. but dont know what. Or maybe too much? Dont know and will check my nurserymans guide.

Here is a red...

Nice nice photos blossom. Awesome dianthus photo!!! I forgot to post one photo of my "Chabaud Giant" carnations from last year, before I gave up on them. As you can see I had to stake them everywhere. I was going to give up on Dianthus also because I couldnt get them to bloom over a long period of time. There are tons of dianthus available for purchase down here right now at Lowes and Home Depot. Dozens of the typical short ones with the small blooms. About a month ago I saw a larger one with 2-3 inch blooms so I just had to give it a try. These are big blooms for dianthus. I'll take a photo in the morning.

Jon

Ok, on the carnations, my guide says that they do not tolerate the burning sun and hot days of summer so you cold be cooked before you start!

Seed can germinate in 10 days, but must be removed to cooler temps (50 degrees) as soon as they break the soil... They like moderate to low fertility! (Aaaah my kind of plant.. my soil is hiss poor!) Heat and high humidity will cause the plants to become some what grassy, I guess by that they mean leggy!

Seeds sown on November 1 should yeild flowering pots for Mothers day....and they suggest 4 plants to a 6 inch pot.

Aphids are a lothesome pest with them. Does that help? Its about all it has on them!

On the taller long stems, yeah, staking is probably going to be n a necessity.

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Here is another of my dianthus....

Real nice long stems there Jon!

Now about those dianthus...

Annual dianthus are best used where summers are cool. Well, imagine that our summer was cool this year and mine did great! But in your neck of the woods they should do well as a winter annual. Lush growing conditions will cause the plants to become grassy (leggy)! They say full sun is necessary for compact plants.

Well anyway, the guide also says they should be fertilized lightly. I used Oscomote pellets and that worked fine although later in the season I was using chicken poo tea....dint seem to bother mine, but they are leggy now, but I thought that was because they were under the lights.. go figure!

It said nothing on cutting them back, but mine seemed to do great with a shearing about ever 2-3 weeks.

How they will do now in the house is anyones guess. I figure them to die on me or go dormant eventually and not see spring, but time will tell and who knows, if they go dornant, how well they will pop backl and when! I dont know!

The only two I have growing right now are "Sooty" and "Yellow Harmony" both perennial for me. I grew and LOVED "Flashing Lights". Thought it was a perennial but turns out it's biennal for me ...croaks right after it blooms.On the plus side,it's has tiny leaves,compact and low to the ground and when it blooms it is just covered w/ tiny bright ruby colored blooms on 2-3 tall stems that are just too cute.Make copious ammounts of seeds but even if I don't harvest them,I have yet have had any volunteer pop up. That could be me not reconizing them in a weeding frenzy.

I have seeds for more dianthus.I really need to get some sewn for next year's market.

The annual variety have always done well for me here in hot and humid zone 8.

Thanks for the info on Carnations blossom. It all makes perfect sense and can relate to everything you mentioned. They did take a good six months to bloom from seed. I think the only reason I was getting summer blooms is because I had them in pots inside the screening around the pool. That screening filters about 30% of the suns rays. I can get quite a few things to grow in this area that will not grow in the yard. Even when I move things from inside the screening, into the yard, I have to be careful. Everything tends to wilt and struggle for a couple of days.

Here's a picture of my "Super Parfait Raspberry" Dianthus this morning. The blooms are 2-3 inches in diameter. The rain last night made them look a bit ragged this morning.

Jon

I want to try "sooty" and the yellow harmony, but cannot find plants!

I love the long stemmed carnations, but dont have the place or the patience right now for "florist: quality while I drool looking at them all the time!

JON!! WOW 2-3" eh? Mine are lucky to be a half inch to an inch! Those sound more like carnations than dianthus!

Here is a lovely dianthus specimen DIRTYGIRL71 sent me. Dont know the variety but it was gorgeous!

Yes, "Super Parfait Raspberry" has huge blooms compared to most dianthus. The large bloom size is what attracted me to them and made me decide to give dianthus another try. I've only had them a month, but so far so good and they keep blooming. I looked up Sooty and Yellow Harmony and they're both nice and very different. I only see them available as seed right now online.

Well, red is good for different! Her and I go waaaaay back!

Heres was another of my pinks....

That's a nice bright pink. I was thinking of a couple others I tried, but didn't have success. They were "Chomley Farran" and "Arctic Fire".

another pink....

I guess you DO like dianthus!!! You'd freak out if you saw all the dianthus available down here. They also have them in good supply in May/June, but I can't see them doing well down here in the summer. My brother, over in Sarasota, FL has planted some. He's very new to gardening (3 months) so it will be interesting to see if they do well for him. I just remembered another Carnation plant I bought this past St Patricks Day that was very very cool named "Adorable Jade". It had light green blooms. It really did bloom with green blooms. It lasted about 3 months then the heat got it!!!

Im a certified florist...so I like playing with carnations! We would spray them green for Irish day or other colors that they normally would not come in! Just wished I had my own shop sometimes! So thats why I garden

Heres some of my 2009 babies earlier inthe year year....

Nice. I like floral arrangements and being able to bring the flowers inside. I tend to lean toward taller/longer stemmed flowers. I would guess 75% of the flowers in the yard would be classified as "cut flowers". I'm giving some warmer climate flower bulbs a try this winter to see how they do here. I'm hoping for some/enough success to have made it worthwhile.

This is one of my favorite dianthus

That's a nice one. I'll have to go look them over again next time I go plant hunting.

That one has a nice spice aroma. I think its called old spice or something of that nature.

I think I am out of dianthus'...

So that leaves us on Sweet williams and carnations.. I dont have any carnations.. so heres my sweet willies!

Yep, all the carnations I previuosly grew had a spice fragrance. I think that is pretty common.

Here's a bouquet I had made with my Chabaud Giant carnations. Very spicy/clove smelling.

I love all of your dianthus! Or would they be dianthii ?? Just kidding! It is my favorite flower. Do you bring them inside because you are a florist? Mine come back every year.

This is a picture of one kind I have. It didn't have a stick, and the color isn't right in the picture, it's a deep red. I bought them in late June and they're still blooming. The weird thing is, it's the same flower. Been alive since then.

Or are you talking about a different kind of dianthus?

Yes, pardon me. An awful picture, way over exposed.

Your vase is very pretty.

Thanks and that's a nice photo smiley. I think were talking about both dianthus and carnations. They're basically the same thing as they come from the same family. Carnations are also referred to as dianthus.

Smiley, I brought themin because I had planted up some containers. I fured may as well enjoy them as long as I could. So they are under lights in my office.

Nothing wrond with that photo either! LOL! Gads, you should see someof mine. I cannot get the hang of close ups and I seem to shake the cam when I click.. Dang arther!

Anyway OMG! Jon, those are lovely! Too bad we all dont have smell-o-vision!

That sweet willie was a baby that never did bloom. Was its first year I guess!!

Here is a white....

Well, now I am out...no more photos for a bit. I need to check my seeds and see what I will be sowing here.


Oh, I had sooty.. but I killed it.. dang it! Tried starting it by seed to no availe...! SHUCKS!

Ooh, that is really nice! I have white ones too, but they're not as bushy. Thinner leaves, but probably a foot tall. I noticed this year the centers are slightly pale pink.

My white pinks have pink in them!! ha ha!!

Did I inadvertently stumble on some new dianthus buddies? They are absolutely my favorite!

oh shoot did you mention PINK! I forgot! Some also are refered to as pinks! Her is my pink on the prairie...this particular one is a wildflower!

Well, meanwhile back at the ranch, I think I am gonna head for the petunia patch....I have to log some photos there...anyone game?

Haven't been able to get on-line for a couple days so I've been playing in the GH. I did sew some dianthus seeds yesterday:Flashing Lights,Amazon Neon Rose and Purple. Need to do some Sooty too.

amore,
you found seeds for Chomley Farran? Where? Enquiring minds MUST know! I've been looking for seeds for 3-4 yrs now.....and ...Oh Great! Now I'm gonna have to google for Adorable Jade seeds...ENABLER....LOL

Thar she goes! Off on another tangent! You go girl! But C'mon back and show us da bloomers eh!

ya know me to well

Like da back of my puter!! LOL! So...........

all covered with dust bunnies

Like da back of my frigde! LOL! 42 years of them! LOL! heheheeheeeeeee!

Soz now what?

I don't want to know what's behind and under my frig...might find Hoffa....LOL

Now what,what?

I'm sorting thur my seeds to see what I want to sew next month. Think I'll start with aquilgeia,poppies and primula.

I wanna see those.. got any threads...I jhave not don primulas in a long time.

Im packing seed today too. Gotta water the thirsty monsters in the house and probably cut the begonias AGAIN! Dang that seems like every 2 weeks that has to go on! Guess I will be offering cuttings up again....

Ugh, yea Hoffa...maybe a few others too! LOL! I can tell ya one thing, he wernt unner mine! But I think a relative or two was...but theys gone now. YOu know what they say about 3 days and fish yano!

Soz, ya gonna show those fansy dianthi?

I'll post threads when I get back from exercise class. Gotta go bath and put on fresh underpinnings to go work up a sweat....????...LOL

Pilates huh? Dont forget the cake! Its IN not behind da refrigerator! LOL!