The Reiger Begonias
20
April
2011

Dianthus are Prime Right Now!

dianthus_crimsonOur dianthus crop are really strong this year. We carry two strong lines of Dianthus, the Elation series and the Super Parfait series. Both are full sun, tender perennials that we sell as annuals because they are not hardy in the Cincinnati market.

The Elation Series has everything we look for in a quality danthus: good growth, a heavy coat of flowers and a long-blooming season. It has heat tolerance to help its summer performance in the garden, and the series has all the important dianthus colors: white, coral, pink, red and even a bi-color red thrown in for a good mix.

The Elation Series is the backbone of our dianthus crop, and we offer the full range of colors in two sizes: the 1203 trays and the 6-in green pots. The Elation violet in the 6-inch pot is an especially good deal. It fills the pot with blooms and you feel like you are getting more plant than you are paying for.

dianthus_prple

The other dianthus we grow are the Super Parfait Dianthus. They have a little Sweet William in the genetics, so they have bigger, bolder blooms - much bigger. Most important are their colors - super showy bi-colors of reds and pinks. The eyes have strong color and the petals are lightly stained and the Red Peppermind has a very clean white petal. When you buy some in, you will see why these dianthus are pretty much eye candy for the retail bench. We sell the Super Parfaits in the 1203 trays.

In the garden, you always want to plant dianthus in full sun - shade cuts down their flower performance - and you want to avoid places that puddle, like downspots. Soggy roots will kill them.

If you are looking for hardy Dianthus, like Firewitch or Frosty Fire, we sell those as well - but that is a different story.