Culture
'Bath's Pink' tolerates heat and humidity (as well as some drought) better than most other dianthus.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Perennial dianthus, commonly called carnations or pinks, are loosely-tufted, herbaceous perennials that features fragrant, often double flowers on stiff stems clad with narrow, linear, gray-green leaves. Most hybrid carnations are crosses between three species: D. caryophyllus, D. gratianopolitanus, and D. plumarius. There are thousands of carnation cultivars and hybrids which have been developed over time for use in both outdoor gardens or under glass for the cut flower industry. Extensive breeding has produced cultivars in almost every shade of pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, and white, and ranging in size from 6” tall up to long-stemmed plants rising to as much as 4’ tall.
Large-flowered carnations today are divided for organizational purposes into two different groupings: (1) border carnations (fragrant double flowers on stems rising to 16” tall) for use in outdoor gardens and (2) florist’s carnations (fragrant double flowers on stems rising to 3-4’ tall) primarily grown in greenhouses for supplying the florist trade.
Genus name comes from the Greek words dios meaning divine and anthos meaning flower.
The common name of pink for plants in the genus Dianthus is in probable reference to the fringed flower petal margins (they appear to have been cut with pinking shears) and not to flower color.
'Bath's Pink' is a mat-forming dianthus (also commonly called cheddar pinks) that produces numerous, fringed and fragrant, star-like, soft pink, 1" diameter flowers singly atop wiry stems (to 10" tall) arising from mounds of grassy, blue-green, linear foliage. Blooms in late spring with some intermittent repeat bloom in summer.
Problems
Crown rot may occur in wet, poorly-drained conditions.
Uses
Provides masses of color and good contrast for the rock garden or small border front. Good edging plant. Dense mats may be grown together to form an interesting ground cover. May also be grown on difficult sites such as stone walls.