No pictures today, but after my morning walk, I took my hand spade and transplanted my newest dianthus purchases as well as 3 Valentine dianthus into the lily bed. I hope the extra cool shade will spur the Valentines into vigorous growth this winter and coming spring. The new dianthus chinensis (one white and one red flowered), you may remember, were from a shopping trip nearly 2 weekends ago. The three Valentine dianthus originally came from seed and resided in the blue garden (after mis-identification).
In part sun and under heavy mulch, the Valentine dianthus seedlings struggled for the year, but one or two specimens provided some blooms. I would describe their original location as to consist of dry to average moisture, with some protection offered by neighboring oxalis. The foliage resembles other chinensis cultivars, varying from bright green to bluish green depending on temperature and season. The Valentine blooms measure larger than other chinensis flowers; the eye is more of a rose pink or washed-out red, unlike the brilliant red depicted in PanamSeed’s catalog. I believe that with full shade, the color might become more vivid.
I hope to see some vigorous and early dianthus blooms next year.