Pink Kisses® Carnation
Dianthus caryophyllus 'Pink Kisses'
Height: 16 inches
Spacing: 12 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Brand: Ball
Description:
Beautiful two toned pink miniature carnations with fringed petal edges bloom consistently over a long season; great for border fronts, containers, and floral arrangements; easy to grow with no deadheading required
Ornamental Features
Pink Kisses® Carnation has masses of beautiful fragrant pink frilly flowers with hot pink overtones at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive narrow leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the year.
Landscape Attributes
Pink Kisses® Carnation is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Pink Kisses® Carnation is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Planting & Growing
Pink Kisses® Carnation will grow to be about 14 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Pink Kisses® Carnation is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.