The 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year
'Firewitch' brings beauty, fragrance to your garden
'Firewitch' (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) gets the recognition because of its long-lasting, fragrant, magenta flowers and the blue-green foliage, which is evergreen.
Dianthus is a large group of plants, which can be annuals (such as the Parfait series or 'Corona Cherry'), biennials (sweet William) and perennials. Probably the most well-known dianthus is the carnation, a weak-stemmed perennial.
If there's a common trait across the species, it's fragrance. Another attractive trait for many dianthus is blue-green foliage that is very cold-tolerant or evergreen.
'Firewitch' is in the "pinks" category of dianthus, which is sometimes called Cheddar pinks. Cheddar is an area of England where this dianthus comes from, and pinks refers to the flowers, which look like they've been trimmed with pinking shears.
'Firewitch' blooms for six to eight weeks in spring and early summer, making it a good companion for late-blooming spring bulbs. After each flush of flowers, cut off dead blooms and the plant will likely rebloom throughout summer. The plant looks good through winter with its beautiful, blue-green, mat foliage.
Dianthus does best in full sun and loose, well-drained soil. It can go more on the dry side; wet soil may cause the plant to rot. 'Firewitch' gets about 8 inches tall with a 12- to 15-inch spread. Be prepared, though, because it may spread even wider.
'Bath's Pink', which is similar to 'Firewitch', easily spreads to 30 inches.
Once established, fertilizer usually isn't necessary. Dusting the soil or ringing the plants with compost in fall or spring is about all that's needed.
'Firewitch' is easy to divide. Just chop off a clump and transplant. Although it's always recommended to prepare the soil for transplants, I've had dianthus take hold when just placed on the soil.
Dianthus shines in the front of the bed, in rock gardens and in troubling spots. It can take a footstep or two, but not high traffic. Source of the article.
'Firewitch' (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) gets the recognition because of its long-lasting, fragrant, magenta flowers and the blue-green foliage, which is evergreen.
Dianthus is a large group of plants, which can be annuals (such as the Parfait series or 'Corona Cherry'), biennials (sweet William) and perennials. Probably the most well-known dianthus is the carnation, a weak-stemmed perennial.
If there's a common trait across the species, it's fragrance. Another attractive trait for many dianthus is blue-green foliage that is very cold-tolerant or evergreen.
'Firewitch' is in the "pinks" category of dianthus, which is sometimes called Cheddar pinks. Cheddar is an area of England where this dianthus comes from, and pinks refers to the flowers, which look like they've been trimmed with pinking shears.
'Firewitch' blooms for six to eight weeks in spring and early summer, making it a good companion for late-blooming spring bulbs. After each flush of flowers, cut off dead blooms and the plant will likely rebloom throughout summer. The plant looks good through winter with its beautiful, blue-green, mat foliage.
Dianthus does best in full sun and loose, well-drained soil. It can go more on the dry side; wet soil may cause the plant to rot. 'Firewitch' gets about 8 inches tall with a 12- to 15-inch spread. Be prepared, though, because it may spread even wider.
'Bath's Pink', which is similar to 'Firewitch', easily spreads to 30 inches.
Once established, fertilizer usually isn't necessary. Dusting the soil or ringing the plants with compost in fall or spring is about all that's needed.
'Firewitch' is easy to divide. Just chop off a clump and transplant. Although it's always recommended to prepare the soil for transplants, I've had dianthus take hold when just placed on the soil.
Dianthus shines in the front of the bed, in rock gardens and in troubling spots. It can take a footstep or two, but not high traffic. Source of the article.
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Sunday, January 22, 2006
