Diana Lavender Picotee (Dianthus)
Latin Name: Dianthus chinensis
Item #: 5261111
Difficulty:
Easy
Suitable for Containers:
Yes
Suitable for Small Pots
Yes
(8 in/20 cm) Combines earliness and a compact plant habit with large single lavender picotee frilled edge blooms.
(8 in/20 cm) Combines earliness and a compact plant habit with large, single lavender picotee frilled edged blooms. Great for potted plant use or as a mature dwarf. Pkt contains 25 seeds.
DIANTHUS Hybrid (Barbatus x Chinensis)
Biennial - 10 in/23 cm Approx. 26,000 seeds per oz/28 g; 800 seeds per g.
A new type of dwarf hardy dianthus that flowers slightly earlier than dwarf annual types. Plant breeders crossed Sweet William with annual dianthus to produce a species that had larger self cleaning flowers, more free flowering and better garden performance during summer heat. Plants will flower about 10 - 15 days earlier than traditional annual types.
CULTURE: Sow Mar. 1st. - 15th. for May blooms in paks. Plant seed about 1/8 in/3 mm deep, cover lightly. Germinate at 70°F/21°C soil temp. for 8-10 days. As soon as seedlings sprout, lower seedling growing temperatures to about 50°F/10°C to prevent stretching. Transplant 4 to 5 weeks later at the same depth as they were as seedlings. Continue to grow plants in a cool, well ventilated area, treating them regularly (once a week) with a fungicide to prevent damping off.
BIENNIALS: In sub zero climates keep plants protected (like pansies) with straw mulch to increase winter survival rate. Keep spent or dead blooms removed to encourage new blooms during hot weather.
