How to Grow Dianthus: Pinks and Carnations

With their grey-green leaves and frilly, often scented flowers, dianthus are a cottage garden classic. Garden pinks and carnations are tough, compact and happy in a sunny pot or the front of a border, flowering from early summer into autumn.

They're easy to grow as long as you give them two things: sun, and soil that drains freely. Here's how to grow them.

Dianthus at a Glance

• Hardiness: garden pinks and carnations are fully hardy and stay outside all year, as long as the soil drains freely over winter.
• Position: full sun.
• Size: about 15 to 60cm tall.
• Flowers: June to September.
• When to plant: March to May, or September and October.
• Good for: pots, the front of a border, coastal gardens and cutting.

Pinks, Carnations and Bedding Dianthus

All of these are dianthus, but they behave a little differently:

• Garden pinks and carnations are hardy perennials with evergreen, grey-green leaves. They come back every year.
• Bedding dianthus, such as sweet William and Chinese pinks, are grown for one season of colour. Sweet William flowers once in early summer, while Chinese pinks flower all summer.

Scent varies a lot between varieties, so check each plant if fragrance matters to you.

Where to Plant Dianthus

Give dianthus the sunniest spot you have, in soil or compost that drains well. They cope well with dry spells and salty seaside air, and they're happy in pots on a sunny patio. What they don't like is sitting in cold, wet soil over winter, so avoid heavy clay unless you add plenty of grit.

How to Plant

1. Water the plant well in its pot.
2. Plant at the same depth it was growing, without burying the stems, as this can make them rot.
3. On heavy soil, mix in some grit, or grow them in a pot.
4. Water in well.

Caring for Dianthus

• Watering: water in dry spells, especially plants in pots, but never leave them sitting wet.
• Deadheading: snip off faded flowers to keep new ones coming through summer.
• Cutting: the flowers are lovely in a small vase, and cutting them encourages more.

Winter Care

Garden pinks and carnations keep their leaves through winter and need no protection from cold. The only real risk is winter wet, so make sure pots drain freely and stand them on pot feet.

Good to Know

• Fully double flowers give bees very little, so if you want to help pollinators, choose single-flowered kinds or sweet William.
• The sap of bedding dianthus can irritate skin, so wear gloves when handling them.

Dianthus: Your Questions Answered

Do dianthus come back every year?

Garden pinks and carnations are hardy perennials and come back every year. Bedding dianthus are grown for one season.

Do dianthus like sun or shade?

Full sun, in soil or compost that drains well.

Should I deadhead dianthus?

Yes. Removing faded flowers keeps new ones coming through summer.

Scent and Colour for Sunny Spots

Give them sun and good drainage, and dianthus will flower for months, year after year. Browse our dianthus, or see our guide to the best flowering perennials.

Our garden plants are grown in Britain by growers we know, including the Yorkshire nursery that grows most of them. We check every plant by hand before it's packed, and send it out ready for your garden.