DIANTHUS 



(From the Greek dios, divine, and anthos, a flower) 

 Caryophyllaceee 



128. Dianthus barbatus, vars. 



English Names: Sweet William, Bunch pink, Blooming down, London pride, 

 London tuft, Snowflake, Sweet John. 



CENTRAL AND S. EUROPE 



MID-MAY THROUGH JUNE 



SINGLE and double round flat flowers, an inch to an inch and a half 

 in diameter, very variously colored and marked, in shades of white, 

 pink, and crirnson, borne in dense rounded terminal heads of twenty to 

 thirty flowers and often 

 four inches across, on 

 leafy erect stems from 

 ten to eighteen inches 

 high. The foliage is 

 simple, rather broadly 

 pointed, and clean look- 

 ing when young, but after 

 blooming the plant be- 

 comes decidedly shabby. 



An old garden favorite, 

 and popular at the present 

 day, perhaps more for its 

 association than for its 

 qualities. The single 

 whites, true pinks, and 

 dark crimsons make fine 

 spots of color in the 

 herbaceous border, but 

 the magentas must be 

 carefully avoided, and 

 many of the parti-colored 

 varieties are ugly. The 

 double flowers last longer 

 but are rather clumsy in 

 form. Excellent for cut- 

 ting. 



Theoretically, the plant will last several years, but the second year is 

 by far its best blooming season, so that it is usually treated as a biennial, 



