Dianthus "Dancing Queen"

"She is the dancing queen, young and sweet only seventeen" I think I'd buy this simply because I love the song...but they are really pretty. I'm a sixties hippy but I love the ABBA songs.

We are big ABBA fans too, such happy feeling songs..this little beauty makes you happy too..it has such a glorious scent, this one small plant smells stronger than my Graham Thomas honeysuckle nearby..in fact it scents the whole bottom r/h side of the garden!

Bonus! And the flowers last and last. I've never had much luck with dianthus...but I'd like to try this. Does it have a zonal designation of 3 I wonder...I would probably have to treat them as annuals. Are they perennial for you?

They are hardy for me, Im Zone 9 remember! but they are sooo easy to propagate. Non flowering shoots with bottom node just stick them into some neutral compost, cover with plastic bag...the usual thing..all of mine survived last year, tho most in reasonable shelter and I can actually break off and shove my shoots in the ground and they will take.
Are you allowed to import from UK? They are guaranteed virus proof mother plants..they sell all over the world apparently. Whetman Pinks.
They need the kind of ideal soil that iris need, very well drained gravel ideal! They will die if too wet.
I've asked the question about hardiness, they will probly answer tomorrow.

Wow! thanks for all that,M~ you're amazing! Zone 9!! I can only dream~lol...

Ahh but when it comes to remembering the latin names I learned all those years ago..I go to the bottom of the class lol!
Easy to take cuttings from Lori..overwinter somewhere that doesnt drop below -10 and you should be okay.

Would they need light or are they ok with darkness...I'm thinking of putting them in the basement for the winter. Actually saw members of this series today and almost bought a couple of pots...but had to choose something for dry areas...ended up with two sedum that cost me $12 a 4" pot! Yikes...

They dont mind it dry, I avoid watering them when on my hose rounds, once they are established of course! I try to wait for the rain to do its job on dianthus. Not sure about the basement Lori, but surely worth a try with one plant. But a window in a spare room, in 7cm pots (what I use for cuttings, half grit, dash of vermiculite, the rest compost) would surely do the trick, unless someone out there has solid information.

I had a little chuckle at your statement "as long as it's not below -10C...", I think you said. We have periods of weeks where the daytime high does not reach -10C.! Most winters we have at least a week to two weeks of -20's with dips to the minus 30's and in a cold snap -40something and if there's a wind you can ratchet it down another 10 to 15 degrees. -20 with a 40 mph wind...= -35 -40 degrees with the windchill factor. Forgot that you were in balmy Bristol...practically on the trade winds! I'm looking for the hardy little pinks that we see a lot in rockeries..or maybe dianthus barbatus.. it grows well here.

I had a feeling your winters were a tad colder than ours lol! It was a case of wishful hope for you to be able to have them..mais ..c'est la vie et vous avez l'hiver tres froid!
(and dont ask me to do any more..had to stretch the memory banks for that!! Not sure if its right either lol)