Dianthus plumarius Heidi

Dianthus plumarius 'Heidi' is a sweet william that displays a long flowering period from June to September. Its flowers are fully double and intensely red. It stands out for its pronounced fragrance. Particularly suitable for container gardening due to its small size and floribundity, it is also an excellent perennial for sunny borders, where it forms persistent cushions of beautiful grey-blue even in winter.

Dianthus 'Heidi' belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars resulting from the cross-breeding of D. plumarius and D. caryophyllus. D. plumarius is a European perennial that is the main ancestor of the different groups of sweet williams, both old-fashioned and modern. D. caryophyllus is Mediterranean and has passed on to its descendants its wonderful clove fragrance and its good tolerance to calcareous and dry soils. This sweet william has a fairly rapid growth rate. Its mature size will not exceed 25cm (10in) in height with a spread of 30cm (12in), or even more. This sweet william forms a dense clump. From June to September, 4 to 5cm (2in) wide double flowers with slightly serrated petals emerge at the end of short, often branched stems. Its linear, glabrous, pointed, evergreen, and leathery leaves are of a superb grey-blue colour.

Dianthus 'Heidi' is a very pretty plant for patios or balconies. It is hardy to at least -15°C (5°F). It is undemanding in terms of water, but is sun-loving. It will thrive in well-drained borders, embankments, and rockeries. Its beautiful fragrant flowers bring undeniable charm to even the humblest decor. For example, it can be placed in front of other white, pink, or bicoloured carnations ('Devon Dove', 'Cranmere Pool', 'Devon Cream', 'Letitia Wyatt', 'Whatfield Gem'), or to accompany the blue bells of campanulas, the lavender-blue mosses of catmints, small lavenders, or flowering cushions such as helianthemums, silenes, wall bellflowers, Caucasian rockcress, Phlox subulata, Erigeron karvinskianus, and Geranium sanguineum. To evoke gardens of the past, a small border of these delightful carnations can be planted at the base of peony clumps and old roses. This plant forms a lovely display between the stones of a wall or paving, in a trough or in a container.