CHAPTER VIII 
THE GARDEN PINK 
THIS is the Feathered Pink (Dianthus plumarius) or 
Pheasant’s Eye. It is said to have been introduced to 
English gardens from Eastern Europe in 1629, In Rea’s 
Flora, published in 1665, it is said to have been pretty 
generally cultivated. Rea says that there were many 
sorts, and they were used as edgings to borders, ‘The 
flowers were used for posies, mixed with the buds of 
Damask Roses; most of them are single, and there are 
some that bear double flowers, the best, those which are 
called feathered Pinks ; they have broad leaves deeply cut 
in, and jagged at the edges, whereof there is white, light 
red, and bright purple, and some with a deeper or paler 
spot in the middle; the best of these are the feathered 
Pink of Austria, etc.” Rea further adds that : “The Pinks 
flower with Roses in June, and every ordinary gardener 
knows how to plant and dispose them.” It will be seen 
from the above quotations that the Pink, from its first intro- 
duction, rapidly took its place as a garden flower, and that 
varieties at this early date had taken on the colour form of 
our modern laced Pinks, They had the centre blotch, but 
it is not stated that they had the marginal colour to the 
petals. Doubtless many varieties were raised from seeds, 
and as all of them have a delightful fragrance, they would 
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