Those "regular old dianthus" are absolutely gorgeous! With self-sown beauties like those, I'd stop winter sowing immediately!!! Do you have more photos of your flowerbeds? Would love to see a few more of your combinations. I'm just beginning to put a few things together that actually look good together.

My bachelor buttons & California poppies self-seeded too but since I set down thick cardboard topped with mulch between all my WS plants, I'm a little surprised to see them. They're few and far between but they did manage to send up a few volunteers.

I'm really sold on the Shasta daisy/bachelor button combination but haven't worked out a spot to plant them yet. I'm working on it...

Thanks for sharing!!!

gardenweed, I really don't put much thought into color combos. The plants have a mind of their own and decide who to grow next to...LOL
Don't get me wrong I do find the dianthus lovely it's just a little disappointing when the flowers don't come out like what the seed packet shows. I guess what can I expect from an American Seed packet from Ace Hardware. I tell ya what I would never get rid of them though. I have learned to love them since I could not wintersow this past year.

Beds? I wish! I have one little strip of garden by my garage and on the other side of the fence is my niehgbor's lawn. I'll try and take more pictures later this week and post them for ya. Thanks for the compliments!

Gladys

Really Nice for not color coordinating! Lovely pictures! Keep them coming.

I definitely sympathize about things that bloom different colors than what the photo on the seed packet shows. So far I've been lucky that way altho' things have grown a whole lot taller for me than what was printed on the seed packet, which means things have to be dug up and planted at the back of beds rather than the front.

You've got a very pretty "little strip of garden by my garage" that you can be proud of. I'm struggling to tame nearly a full acre of property and have basically had to give up on the back half just because I don't have the time, resources or physical strength to do the work that's needed. It's a daunting task and I continually have to remind myself I can only do a little at a time. Sometimes I get lucky and a plant combination looks fantastic but generally it's by accident rather than design. That's one reason why I appreciate seeing photos of great plant combos so I can plant smarter, not work harder.

Sorry you missed out on winter sowing this year. I wonder how I'd handle that--this was my second year to winter sow and I did 304 containers, down from almost 500 last year. I'm gradually planting out HOS and looking forward to seeing them bloom next year, even if the orange globeflower blooms beside the pink primrose & lavender ladybells!!!

I understand what you mean about how much hard work gardening actually is. Even that little strip of garden can turn to quite a pain in the neck. It is mainly the darn crabgrass and flopping over plants due to heavy rains that has me scrambling like a loon.

This winter I do not care who I have to tell to leave me be so I can wintersow! I did springsow some things which I just planted out last weekend so that made up for it. The plants getting taller than anticipated is extremely annoying! That very shasta daisy was supposed to be a 12" silver princess and it is almost as tall as me and I'm 5'4"! I am going to have to move it the other side of my strip this fall because it is taking up too much room in it's current spot.

ladyrose, thanks and I will!

Gladys

BEAUTIFUL!!!

The crabgrass, actually most is some tall grass is a pain, have the CG but think the tall stuff is Bermuda Grass. I could get some Ortho grass 'b gon which works but hate to use it when my plants are fuller than the grass. I didn't know they started marketing it again or I might have started earlier with that.

Those dianthus are gorgeous. Mine are all singles. What inspired me with those was seeing one of Tiffy's photos of her double dianthus in combo with artemesia silver brocade. Well I have the artemesia and dianthus (WS survivors) ready to plant, bought the artemesia from Bluestone.

I also love the different shades of bachelors button and, of course, the daisies with the BB. You reminded me of my loss last winter as it was hard for me to find the purple but I did but either didn't germinate or got trashed. How do you keep the weeds out of that nice stand?

Well, if one has to have "jungles" yours are very pretty. We have to deal with what we get once basic plants are established and unless we start a new planned bed.

I WS commercial seeds of 'Silver Princess' this year and I think I got a single sprout that didn't make it. :-Okay - rant/whine session over.

I ws Silver Princess and loved the blooms but not the numerous reseeds. So pulled them out, though still find reseeds popping up here and there.

I much prefer Snow Lady and Snow Cap. Both are shorter and have thick stems so don't need any support and bloom well.
They have also winter sowed well for me.