Thanks for the quick response! Im moving and this plant seems to live and thrive with no care from me... which makes my life easy. So wanted to get some of them for the new house. Appreciate the welcome.

Dianthus are very pretty and love that yummy spicy scent, but I haven't had much luck growing them as perennials here. I'm going to keep trying, though! Glad your Dianthus is doing so well, radok03, and that the plant has been doing well for several years - that gives me some hope!

Holly

Oak,

Yes I dont know if its the variety or what.. but it seems very hard to kill. I think I only water it by accidental spray when watering the lawn. :P

I have one with a similar color and look, 'Firewitch', so agree with Skybird.

I think I will see if I can find 'Firewitch' or one of the other known perennial varieties available locally and give Dianthus another try. Right now I just get my "Dianthus fix" from the ones I plant in my annual containers on my patio; it would nice to have one that lives and does well for a few years. Guess I have yet to find the place where the perennial varieties will be happy, but maybe this year I will find just the spot! Thanks for the inspiration, radok03 (and Skybird and Dan!)

Holly

Hi OakIris,

I’ve been trying to get back here to make more Dianthus recommendations, but just haven’t found the time! I’ll do this quick now or I probably won’t
get back, but need to get out to turn over my tomato garden—or they’ll never
get in the ground, so this’ll be brief (for me!) If you have any questions that I don’t
answer, ask!

I love all Dianthus!
Some, however, are short-lived—considered to be biennials. Here’s some recommendations and info!

I LOVE Sweet Williams and can’t be without one or two—but
they’re one of the “biennial” ones! They
come in short (5-6”) varieties and taller (16-20”) varieties. They’re VERY easy to start from seed, and will
normally bloom the first year if started early, then will be big and bloom
fully the second year and “probably” die, or severely decline after that. (I manage to keep mine going for years by
“judicious cutting back” after they bloom.)
But it’s much easier to just start a few from seed each year to ensure
you always have some going. They’re
GREAT cut flowers, and, I think, the most fragrant—mostly because there are
“clusters” of flowers, so the scent is concentrated! Hummers love them! CAN’T live without them! Start seed now and you probably won’t get
flowers this year anymore, but will next year.
(Most Dianthus love the cold!) I
recommend ANY varieties of Dianthus barbatus!

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+barbatus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=z_-CVbzPB4rNsAXh5IHACQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1266&bih=890

Another favorite of mine is ‘Velvet ‘N Lace’! I’m not sure if this is short-lived or
not! I’ve had—and lost, two of them
now! But I think both times it was
because of where I had them planted! It’s a short plant with a “miniature
carnation” flower in black-red with a white picotee! I LOVE it—and will be starting more! Even if it turns out that it really IS
short-lived it’s worth starting over when it dies—but I really think I can find
a place where it will live more than 2 or 3 years! (You can find seed, but be sure to get
“commercial” seed!) [See the species
info below!!!]

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+velvet+%27n+lace&biw=1266&bih=890&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=r_qCVZ6zLsjusAXplqeYDQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ

SPECIES in recent years seems to be an interesting thing
with Dianthus! I don’t know if it’s just
because they’re crossing so many species/varieties with each other that they
just don’t know what species to call some of them or what (or if they’re just
to lazy to bother!), but “they” seem to be dropping the species from the names
of many of them! That’s part of the
reason why I’m recommending specific varieties here! They may or may not have a species on the
label if you find them!

Another favorite is Dianthus gratianopolitanis ‘Spotty’
(a/k/a ‘Spotti’). True perennial, easy
care, shear down after blooming. The
petals are dark red with white spots on them!
This is one I recommend buying when it’s in bloom because the coloration
can vary a LOT! If you get a “good” one
(IMO) there will be two very distinct white (or pale pink) spots on each
petal! But they can vary from a mottled
red/white, red/pink, to just a kind of “blurry” look overall! See second link for the ones I really love!

https://www.google.com/search?q=Dianthus+spotti&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8P-CVbe6B4S9sAWD7YOoAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1266&bih=890#tbm=isch&q=Dianthus+spotty

How can you NOT love this!????

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/thumbnail.php?image=2005/07/06/PurplePansies/bbde7f.jpg&widht=700&height=312

Dianthus caryophyllus is the “perennial carnation!” They have “miniature” fully double
“carnation” flowers—but the plants are fairly tall and tend to be “floppy,”
even in full sun. They’re pretty long
lived, but will tend to die out in the middle and need to be dug and the
“newer” parts of the plant replanted to maintain a “good looking” plant. Great cut flowers! (Pretty much the same as the miniature
carnations you find in floral departments!)
This one does come in a true yellow—but I suspect you’d be pretty hard
pressed to find it!

https://www.google.com/search?q=Dianthus+spotti&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8P-CVbe6B4S9sAWD7YOoAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1266&bih=890#tbm=isch&q=Dianthus+caryophyllus

But there are newer, shorter varieties now that have
“miniature carnation flowers,” but they’re usually the ones that don’t have a
species, so you just need to keep an eye out for them when they’re blooming—or
ask if you’re at a “real” garden center!
Range from 6-10” tall or so.
Should be pretty long lived! The
names I mostly remember them under when I was selling them were just “Double
Dwarf Pink,” “Double Dwarf Salmon,” etc!
There were named varieties, but I don’t remember most of them for
sure! Here are a couple examples!

Dianthus ‘Old Spice’

http://www.riverbendnursery.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantdetail&plant_ID=166

Dianthus ‘Raspberry Surprise’

http://www.burpee.com/perennials/dianthus/dianthus-raspberry-surprise-prod000032.html

Dianthus ‘Scent Sugar Plum’

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+scent+sugar+plum&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KQSDVYDLDYbesAWE7YKQCg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1266&bih=890

I think it would be hard to look for a specific variety
(locally) so just look for “dwarf miniature carnations!”

Another one that’s more of a dwarf miniature carnation is
Dianthus x allwoodii ‘Doris’. I think
this one is really pretty! (but not all
D. x allwoodii are doubles!)

http://www.digthedirt.com/plants/14723-dianthus-dianthus-x-allwoodii-doris/details

Then the ones this thread started with! Dianthus gratianopolitanis. (‘Spotty’ is one of these!) There’s the ‘Fire Witch’ linked above. The ones I’m listing here should all be long
lived.

There’s ‘Tiny Rubies’ I mentioned above. I have this one and love it. It’s almost done blooming and will be sheared
down soon.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+tiny+rubies&biw=1266&bih=890&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dgiDVcu8DMPJsAXB04HwDg&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

‘Royal Midget’ – very similar to ‘Tiny Rubies’

https://www.stepables.com/ProdImages/Dianthus%20gratianopolitanus%20Tiny%20Rubies%20Dianthus_201550.jpg

‘Baths Pink’

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+tiny+rubies&biw=1266&bih=890&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dgiDVcu8DMPJsAXB04HwDg&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#tbm=isch&q=dianthus+baths+pink

‘Dottie’

http://www.perennials.com/plants/dianthus-dottie.html

And more!

There’s Dianthus deltoides—they’re the ones I said can tend
to “flop” in rain, but they can be really pretty too!

‘Flashing Lights’

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=dianthus+flashing+lights&ei=CgqDVZqEN8PvsAXK1ZjICw

‘Brilliant’

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+brilliant&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=PQqDVZm5B8vAtQW69ICgBQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1266&bih=890

‘Zing Rose’

https://www.google.com/search?q=dianthus+zing+rose&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=kwqDVfbhEonGsAWx3oDoDw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1266&bih=890

And more!

Can you tell I love Dianthus!

There are so many of them!
Just “go shopping” and look for one “you like!” With Dianthus you’ll fairly often be able to
find them blooming when they’re for sale!

I need somewhere to plant my tomatoes! Gotta go dig!

Skybird

P.S. I think it’s
Dianthus ‘First Love’ (might be D. chinensis—but not sure about that!) that’s
most often sold as the “annual” one!
They have “wider” and greener foliage than most of the “perennial”
Dianthus, but they often live for several years too—but you can’t count on them
like the other more truly perennial varieties.

http://www.easybloom.com/plantlibrary/plant/china-pink

http://floridafriendlyplants.com/DatabaseImages/DianthusFirstLove.jpg