Dianthus: 6 ideas to pair in the garden

A well-flowered corner without worry

To flower a sunny spot with minimal effort, organise around pinks, a clever mix of hardy, floriferous perennials that thrive with minimal care.

In borders, plant the pinks in groups at the front, alongside Sedums, Achilleas, and Echinaceas, to create beautiful masses of colour. Surrounded by Aquilegias, Asters, Campanulates, Nepetas, Scabious, Coreopsis, dwarf Gaillardes, Cleomes, and Nigellas, they will compose scenes that appear wild and vibrant.

-D. plumarius ‘Lily the Pink’- Echinacea ‘Delicious Candy’ and Eryngium ‘Picos Blue’ – Nepeta – Damask Nigella –

To punctate a mixed border

Used in punctuation to create beautiful colour tasks, Dianthus combine colour, robustness, and lightness.

We rely on the vivid colours of a deltoid carnation ‘Flashing Light’ or a mignardise carnation ‘Romeo’ to bring warmth to a cheerful summer border. In a joyful and wild spirit, we mix in Phlox, small-sized grasses (Carex, Stipa tenuifolia), Digitalis, ornamental Tobacco, Echinacea, or globe Thistles.

Achillea ‘Terracotta’-Eryngium ‘oliverianum’ – Bicolour woolly Digitalis –

In full sun rockery

Certain species such as the Deltoid Carnation or the Heathland Carnation will look magnificent in a rockery, on the slope of a well-drained bank, or at the top of a dry stone wall.

They adapt well to stony and dry soils. The low varieties are perfect between the stones of a low wall where they form low-maintenance flowering cushions. Among the stones of a low wall, they accompany other flowering cushions such as Helianthems, Silene, Dwarf Wormwood, Wall Bellflower, the Caucasian Arabis, Creeping Phlox, Karvinskian Fleabane and the Bloodroot Geranium. Its companions can also be alpines and montane plants such as Alyssum, Soapworts and Aubrietas.

D. ‘Romeo’ – Campanules – Nepetas – Hélianthèmes – Crédit Photo : Bios

With silver foliage

The silver and evergreen foliage of Dianthus blends spontaneously with the grey-green foliage of Caucasian Arabis, Wormwoods, or Garden Corncockle. The vibrancy of the magenta pink hues of Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Badenia’, with its rare intensity, and the purity of the white flowers of Dianthus plumarius ‘Haytor White’ create a combination that is both fresh and vivid against a backdrop of silver velvet.

Wormwood schmidtiana ‘Nana’ – D. gratianopolitanus ‘Badenia’

In a pot in the sun on the terrace or balcony

Many varieties of carnations such as Dianthus barbatus, Mignardise carnations, or Sand carnations adapt very well to pot culture, in large containers or troughs, where they compete in floribundity with the finest geraniums on balconies. With a few applications of fertiliser, good drainage, and sometimes a light staking for the taller varieties, they will bloom abundantly.

Choose a passageway, close to an entrance, for example, to fully enjoy their sweet fragrance. They can be paired with moss Phlox, Geums or Achilleas, Asters, Iberis, Nigella, or with alpine and montane plants such as Alyssum, Saponaria, Aubrietes, and Helianthemums. For a light pot arrangement, they can be combined with a Stipa pennata, a small poetic grass that bears silver seed spikes.

In a wildflower bouquet

Sweet Williams are highly valued for their cut flowers, which have a long vase life. The delicately frilled pompons of the Mignardise Sweet Williams, along with the opulent inflorescences of the Poet’s Sweet Williams, create beautiful, vibrant summer bouquets when mixed with Heleniums, airy Gypsophila, old roses, and daisies.