pARTir. DIANTHUS. 19s 



DIANTHUS ViFXiTlO'SUQ.— Toothed Pink. 



A DISTINCT and singularly pretty species ; dwarf, with violet- 

 lilac flowers, more than an inch across, the margins toothed at 

 the edge, the base of each petal having a regular dark-violet 

 spot, which produces a dark eye nearly half an inch across in 

 the centre of the flower. I first saw this plant in cultivation in 

 Madame Vilmorin's garden, near Paris, and was much struck 

 with its beauty, the large, glaucous leaves spreading into 

 broad tufts, and being quite covered with flowers, on stems not 

 more than five or six inches high, and not unlike a purplish 

 form of the alpine Pink. It comes readily from seed, is a 

 native of Southern Russia, flowering in May and June, con- 

 tinuing till autumn, and thriving well in sandy soil, in borders, 

 or on rockwork. 



DIANTHUS NEGLECTUS.— G/ai;zVr Pink. 



It is impossible to exaggerate the beauty of this plant. It forms, 

 very close to the ground, tufts resembling short wiry grass, of 

 slightly glaucous leaves, concave, pointed, and, except in vigorous 

 specimens, from half an inch to an inch long, the lower leaves 

 on the stems being longer, the flowers on stems from one inch 

 to three inches high, according to the vigour of the plants. The 

 petals are quite level and firm-looking, with the outer margins 

 slightly notched, and the flower about an inch across, in vigorous 

 specimens an inch and a quarter ; the colour is of the purest, 

 deepest, and most brilliant rose. It is so dwarf in habit, and 

 has flowers so large, that tufts of it might at first sight be taken 

 for the alpine Pink ; but it is immediately distinguished from 

 that by its short, narrow, pointed, grass-like leaves. In a wild 

 state, and in poor earth on rockwork, specimens of it may be 

 seen in perfect bloom at one inch and a half high, and even 

 less ; but when cultivated in rich, deep, sandy loams, it attains 

 greater dimensions, at some slight loss of neatness and compact- 

 ness. It is surpassed by no alpine plant in purity or vividness 

 of colouring, and is, happily, very easily grown, not a.ppearing 

 to have any of the fastidiousness characteristic of D. alpinus 

 or D. ccEsius in some soils and positions. It grows with free- 

 dom in very sandy loam, either in pots or on rockwork, rooting 

 through the bottoms of the pots into the sand as freely as any 

 weed, and is perfectly hardy and easily grown in all parts of 



