DIANTHUS MONSPESSULANUS

Description

Rarely seen or grown, this perfumed treasure forms a mat of fine, grass-like foliage, above which open deeply-fringed, pale lavender or pink flowers. These are borne over a long period in summer and such is the delicious fragrance of the blooms they can be detected at a considerable distance in its rocky mountain home, where it grows in arid grasslands, woodlands and heathlands. In the garden plant it near the house where the fragrance can waft indoors or otherwise use at the front of a border or on a rock garden.

Sowing Advice

For best results, sow immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. We sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination, as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, often waiting for natural spring germination, hence giving them a full season of growth.

Key Facts