Dianthus is a genus of flowering plant in the Caryophyllaceae family that includes around 300 individual species and innumerable cultivars. Most of these are native to Europe and Asia, with a limited number extending to north Africa and the Arctic regions of North America.
Most Dianthus species are herbaceous perennials with a few that are annual or biennial, and a handful of subshrubs with woody basal stems. The leaves are linear and opposite, and are usually gray green to blue green.
The flowers have five petals and often have frilled edges. Most come in shades of pink or purple. There are no naturally occurring blue flowers in this genus, although a few patented cultivars have been created by genetic engineering. Many species exhibit a strong, spicy fragrance.
The genus includes a number of popular garden plants and commercially cut flowers, such as:
Getting started with Dianthus? Check out our beginners’ growing guide here.
Deptford pinks are the daintiest Dianthus species with a gentle wildflower look that’s suitable for many garden settings. With good drought tolerance, they’re right at home in naturalized settings like woodland fringes, rockeries, and low-irrigation gardens. Learn how to grow and care for Deptford pinks in this guide.
Showy and perfumed, carnations are beloved in the garden for their colorful, ruffled flowers, heady fragrance, and easy care. Among the most popular of cut flowers, they have a long flowering season, blooming from late spring through to September with regular deadheading. Learn all you need to know to grow carnations.
Carnations, sweet williams, and pinks are long-lasting in the garden and cut arrangements. With a spicy fragrance, Dianthus flowers sport attractive shades of pink, red, white, and purple that bloom all summer long. A stand-out in borders, rockeries, and window boxes, get all the growing details now on Gardener’s Path.
Alpine pinks are compact plants with evergreen foliage and colorful, fragrant flowers that bloom late spring and rebloom in summer. The delicate-looking plants are tough, cold hardy, and heat resistant, making them a favorite in garden beds, containers, and rockeries. Learn how to grow Dianthus alpinus in this guide.
A perennial evergreen, ‘Firewitch’ features dainty fringed flowers with an enticing perfume and a long growing season beginning in late spring. The easy-care plants are cold and heat resistant, and the pretty pink flowers rebloom after deadheading. Learn how to grow and care for ‘Firewitch’ dianthus in this guide.
Charming and dainty but renowned for their toughness, Cheddar pinks feature an abundance of brightly colored, fringed flowers in late spring. Blooms have a spicy-sweet fragrance and sit atop handsome cushions of needlelike, steel blue foliage. Learn how to plant and grow Dianthus gratianopolitanus in this guide.
With bright colors and a lovely, sweetly spicy scent of cloves, sweet williams are a welcome addition to beds and borders, flowering in late spring and reblooming lightly through summer. And they make excellent, long-lasting cut flowers as well. Learn how to plant and grow Dianthus barbatus in this guide. Read more now.
China pink dianthus has beautifully patterned flowers in saturated colors with a sweet-spicy fragrance that’s welcome in any garden. Easily cultivated with a long growing season, they’re highly rewarding and make superb cut flowers too. Join us now to learn how to grow and care for China pink dianthus. Read more.
Beloved for their vivid colors, fanciful fringes, and sweetly spicy fragrance, large pinks are short-lived perennials in the Dianthus genus. Easily cultivated, they add charm to garden settings from ground covers to rockeries and make fantastic cut flowers. Learn how to plant and grow large pinks in this guide.
Pretty colors, a knockout fragrance, and easy growth are the hallmarks of garden pinks. Old-fashioned favorites, new cultivars add to their charm with improved growth, a longer bloom period, and vibrant color combos in pink, red, and white. Learn how to grow these enchanting flowers here on Gardeners Path.