Dianthus gratianopolitanus La Bourboule Alba - Œillet de Grenoble, Œillet bleuâtre, Œillet bleu

Dianthus ‘La Bourboule Alba’ is a miniature perennial pink particularly well-suited to rock gardens. Its fine, grey-green foliage forms a dense carpet against which single, frilled pure white flowers stand out. Their spicy, fairly pronounced fragrance is easily noticeable near a pathway, especially along a border. Very hardy, water-wise and decorative all year round, this variety fills low walls, troughs, paving and sunny edging.

This pink belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. It is an evergreen herbaceous perennial: its short stems retain their leaves in winter and gradually branch out to form a compact cushion. Its name is Dianthus ‘La Bourboule Alba’. In European horticultural trade, however, it is very widely classified among the forms of Dianthus gratianopolitanus, the blue-grey pink. This cultivar corresponds to the white form of the old pink cultivar ‘La Bourboule’. The growth does not exceed 5 to 7 cm in height outside of flowering and slowly spreads over 30 to 40 cm. The linear, narrow, slightly leathery leaves are tightly packed together. Their grey-green to blue-grey hue remains visible even in winter. Between May and July, short upright stems rise from the cushion. They bear solitary, single white flowers, 2 cm in diameter, composed of five widely open petals with irregularly toothed edges. They emit a warm scent reminiscent of clove. Flowering is more abundant in full sun. Very hardy (–20 °C), the plant tolerates dry periods well once established. It does, however, fear stagnant moisture, especially in winter, which can rot its stump.

The small size of this fragrant pink allows it to be planted at the top of a low wall, in a stone trough, between the slabs of a lightly used path or along a gravel border. Its bluish foliage and white flowers pair well with other small rock garden perennials such as early thyme ‘Coccineus’, whose magenta flowers take over in summer, as well as with rock rose ‘Ben Fhada’, orange-yellow in colour. The bellflower ‘Elizabeth Oliver’ will offer pale blue double flowers in a slightly less dry rock garden. Mountain sandwort, dotted with small white flowers, will quickly cover bare areas. These plants all enjoy sun and fairly poor, well-drained soil.