Dianthus plumarius Scent First Iced Gem

The Dianthus 'Scent First Iced Gem', like all carnations in the SCENT FIRST series, has a compact habit and offers a long and pleasantly scented summer flowering. Its double flowers are a pretty lavender pink with a lighter and fringed margin reminiscent of frost. It is also distinguished by its pronounced fragrance. Particularly suitable for container cultivation 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 foliage even in winter.

The carnation or Dianthus 'Scent First Iced Gem' belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. It is a cultivar selected in England, resulting from cross-breeding between D. plumarius and D. gratianopolitanus among others. Dianthus plumarius is a European perennial that is the main ancestor of the various groups of carnations, both old-fashioned and modern. Dianthus gratianopolitanus, native to Europe and Asia, has passed on to its descendants, among other things, its compact habit and its wonderful clove-like fragrance. This carnation has a fairly rapid growth. It will not exceed 30 cm (12in) in height at maturity, with a spread of 25 cm (10in) or more. This carnation forms a dense clump, from which emerge, from May to August, 4cm (2in) wide, round and double flowers with serrated petals, carried at the end of short, often branched stems. Its linear, glabrous, pointed, evergreen and leathery leaves are of a superb grey-blue colour.

Dianthus 'Iced Gem' is a very attractive plant for terraces or balconies, hardy to at least -15°C, water-wise but sun-loving. It will also thrive in well-drained borders, slopes, and rockeries. Its beautiful fragrant flowers bring undeniable charm to even the humblest setting. For example, it can be planted in front of other carnations, white, red or pink ('Devon Dove', 'Devon Magic', 'Devon Cream', 'Letitia Wyatt'), or to accompany the blue bells of campanulas, the lavender blue mounds of catmints, small lavenders, or flowering cushions such as helianthemums, silenes, wall bellflowers, Caucasus rock cress, Phlox subulata, Erigeron karvinskianus and Geranium sanguin (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 or English roses. This attractive blue cushion plant, which is appealing all year round, forms a lovely edging between the stones of a wall or paving, in a trough or in a container.