Dianthus are one of my faves but remember they are biannual so you'll need to be sowing seeds regularly to replace the ones done with their cycle. As to planting schemes I have large patches of one and in other places I mix/match for rainbow effect.

Would that be the same if they were all carnations of some variety?

Some Dainthus are biennials as bossyvossy said (Sweet William is the common name), but others are perennial. I guess I don't understand the wish for only one genus in this bed. I would be more inclined to plant the dianthus mixed in with the hollyhocks, peonies and lupines so I would have a range of colors and textures and shapes in the flowers and foliage. Honestly, I couldn't begin to figure out how to make this pleasing, and I really like Dianthus.

Edited to add: Another issue with planting only one related set of plants is the problem with pests and diseases. For instance voles and cutworms like Dianthus in my garden, so in the years that the Dianthus get eaten, I have other plants that still look nice in that bed.

In the front i get massive mold on the lupines and i currently have rust on my hollyhocks, i have the exact plants planted in the back yard which don't have these problems.

I just love the smell of the carnations, i have some planted else where in my yard that are amazing, plus I've no issues with them in my soil my garden is so chaotic , usually i see something i like sow it or plant it it's very cottage like but this one section i wanted something more uniform.

I'm more than open to suggestions but i definitely want carnations in there.

Can you add a photo of the spot or at the very least give some dimensions?

The delphiniums I've grown have all ranged in size from ground covers to about a foot in height, so mine are usually near the front of a bed. Nearby in one bed I have asters, Clematis, roses and a background of evergreens. In another I have Dianthus planted in front of a smaller Baptisia, some bulbs, Amsonia hubrichtii, and an evergreen.

I'll try and snap a photo later today on my way out.

Here is the bed in need of some tlc, the only plant i want to keep is the red hot poker. I tried to remove the lupine as its far to close but digging atm seems impossibly hard while 9 months pregnant. But id still would love to have a plan sorted out or at least an idea. Id love to move the red poker where the hocks are alone in the corner. Last yr there were cannas growing in the middle but nothing returned now as you can see theres a bald patch. That section just looks terrible and is stressing me out. As u can see as the patch tapers down it becomes narrow.

Since this is such a small space, I'd probably keep it fairly simple. So move the peony down next to the mailbox where it can grow undisturbed, get a large enough set of shorter spring and summer blooming white dianthus to use as a low-growing groundcover and use several clumps of red-hot poker in shades of orange and yellow. (The colors of the house and the red hot poker with the bluish toned reds and pinks of many dianthus would clash IMO.) So you will have peony and Dianthus in the spring, and red hot poker and dianthus in the summer with the peony leaves providing a foliage contrast. You could even add a downspout trellis and grow a smaller white or lavender clematis up that.

I had no idea they did downspout trellis, that's a great idea. I love the suggestions, I've always enjoyed the looked of hot poker plants. I'll move the peony and i still get my dianthus, this is a great suggestion. I probably wont be under taking anything until July i wish sooner but well. I can still get my row of white, i'm feeling allot more at ease and happier with your help, thank you Babs!

Sometimes it takes an outside eye to help with a vision. So appreciative.

but digging atm seems impossibly hard while 9 months pregnant.

==>> that cracked me up.. good luck with that ... and by the time you get back out. there.. it might be too late to plant if full sun ...

the problem with all of one type of flowers ... can be that the blooming season can be rather short ... and by mixing things.. you can get all summer bloom as the plants progress ...

as good as dianthus smell ... they are rather limited to bloom time ... in my MI.. with the ones i played around with back in the day ... they fell to the wayside over the years.. due to such ...

you also said: but i definitely want carnations in there.==>>> pretty sure carnations are dianthus .. and why you ought to force yourself to start learning the latin ... i refused for 20 years .. then the WWW came along ... and they made me do it ...

all that said.. nothing new was ever learned.. unless someone lived their dream ... and proved it possible.. so.. after the kiddo.. go for it ... lets us know.. how it all works out ...

ken

I totally understand that the bending over and energy output required while pregnant would put a major crimp in the gardening for a while! Fall is a great time to plant, and the peonies will be happiest being moved then, though you may have to do an online order for the other plants since at least around here many nurseries have limited stock. On the other hand, often plants in the nurseries are on sale in the fall or after they have stopped blooming, so it may be a good time for plant shopping if the little one will tolerate it and if you have the time and energy. And if not, there's always next spring. Because the bed is near a door, that is a great spot for both the peony and the dianthus to greet you with scent as you enter and exit.

I'll be sure to update and post some pictures on how this project went. I've already been busy looking through seed catalogs online. I was considering Flamenco red hot poker since it's a mixed bundle of yellow and orange and coral. If i wait till fall which isnt a terrible idea at all. Maybe i'll get lucky and find someone who's willing to trade for some carnation seeds.

The visual will be amazing!

Interesting that you like the dianthus...I have been getting white shorter ones, but they do get to maybe 8 or 9 inches. They are far more visible as you come in the driveway than alyssum (which I like but the flowers are so much smaller and makes a "cloud" look. My dianthus last 3 or 4 years...each year a little scragglier but there's other flowers to fill in.

I think for hanging over or hiding imperfections near the rock boarder the cloud look might be nice. I've been looking on swallowtail at their carnation seed collection, they have some pretty options. Orange and yellow and cream. Im not sure why i love them so much, i do think they are just fantastic flowers. One of the very few flowers my 4 yr old will smell and enjoy, most get a big yuck! lol.

Make sure the dianthus will be tall enough to cover the concrete foundation. And that any flowers contrast enough with the siding to be visible! And good luck with your deiivery. Sounds like you are nesting:)

Thanks you :) luckily they have some nice tall varietys.