DIANTHUS 



GABNATION OBDJEB 



DIANTHUS 239 



They are chiefly perennial, occasionally 

 sub-shrubby herbs, with narrow grassy- 

 like glaucous leaves. Mowers terminal, 

 solitary, panicled, or clustered, often rose 

 or purple, rarely white or yellow. Calyx 

 tubular, 5-toothed, with imbricating bracts 

 at the base. Petals 5, with long claws, 

 the blade entire, many-toothed or cut, or 

 notched in two, hairy or smooth above, or 

 with claws produced into scales. Stamens 

 10, capsule cylindrical-oblong, rarely 

 ovoid, opening by 4 teeth or valves. 



The following are some of the best 

 kinds in cultivation out of doors. Their 

 culture and propagation are the same 

 as those of the Carnation {Dianthus 

 Caryophyllus), the Pink (D. plumarius) 

 and the Sweet William {D. barbatus), 

 under each of which instructions will be 

 found. 



D. alpestris. — A native of the Alpine 

 pastures of Europe, 6-9 in. high, with 

 linear-lanceolate leaves. Flowers in July, 

 red, usually in pairs ; petals emarginate. 



Culture dc. the same as for D. ccesius 

 below, as well as notes for each species. 



D. alpinus. — Native of the Austrian 

 Alps, 8-4 in. high. Leaves oblong-linear, 

 blunt, green. Mowers in summer, large, 

 deep rose spotted with crimson, solitary, 

 and very freely produced ; petals crenated. 



Culture Sc. the same as for D. ccesius 

 below. 



D. arenarius. — Native of N. Europe. 

 Flowers in summer, white, with a livid 

 spot and purple hairs at the base of the 

 deeply divided petals. 



Culture Sc. the same as for D. ccesius 

 below. 



D. atronibens. — A species 1 ft. high, 

 native of S. and E. Europe, with 3-nerved 

 linear leaves. Flowers in summer, dark- 

 red, small, sessile, in clusters, with an 

 awned involucre. 



Culture Sc. the same as for D. ccesius 

 below. 



D. barbatus {Sweet WilUam). — The 

 type of the well-known Sweet William is 

 a native of S. and E. Europe, 1-2 ft. high, 

 with lance-shaped nerved leaves. Flowers 

 in summer, variously coloured, from dark 

 purple to white, in dense heads ; petals 

 bearded. 



There are almost innumerable varieties 

 or forms of the Sweet WiUiam, and of late 

 years they have been much improved 

 from the florist's point of view. The 

 individual flowers are larger, more circular 



in shape, thicker petalled, and have the 

 colours more clearly defined. In what is 

 called the ' Auricula-eyed ' section, the 

 flowers have » clear white centre sur- 

 rounded by red, purple, or some other 

 deep, rich colour. There is also a section 

 in which the teeth of the petals are almost 

 if not quite obliterated, being callfd 

 ' smooth-edged.' ' Self-coloured ' flowers 

 exist also, being either pure white, pink or 

 crimson. But there are a vast number 

 of pretty flowers variously edged, spotted, 

 mottled &c., which remain. There is a 

 double dwarf variety called magnifiaus, 

 with deep velvety crimson flowers, but 

 the other double kinds are not particularly 

 desirable. The forms known as fulgens, 

 nigricans, eamdidus, oculatus, margin- 

 atus, and nanus are all handsome, and 

 their peculiar features are expressed in 

 the names. 



Culture cmd Propagation. — Sweet 

 Williams are easily raised from seeds 

 sown in the open border or in cold frames 

 as soon as ripe, or in spring about March 

 and April. The seedlings may be pricked 

 out when about 2 in. high into light rich 

 soil, and may be transplanted either in 

 early autumn or spring in mild showery 

 weather, according to the period at which 

 the seeds were sown. 



Where plants are once established in a 

 garden any number of self-sown seeds will 

 come up every year. By thinning out or 

 transplanting into good soil six inches 

 apart about the end of September, the 

 plants will become well-established for the 

 winter and wiU flower freely the following 

 summer. Special varieties may be in- 

 creased by cuttings taken in early summer, 

 and inserted in rich sandy soil in a shaded 

 place. Transplant in September to the 

 flowering positions. The plants may also 

 be divided in September, but Sweet 

 WiUiams being better treated as biemiials, 

 neither this mode of propagation nor 

 cuttings is much practised, except when 

 it is desired to keep some particularly fine 

 variety quite true. 



D. bicolor. — A native of S. Russia, 1-2 

 ft. high, with awl-shaped leaves, the lower 

 ones wooUy. Flowers in summer, white 

 above, lead-coloured beneath ; petals 

 dilated. 



Culture dc. as for the next species D. 

 ccesius. 



D. cssius {Cheddar Pink). — A very 

 glaucous species 3-6 in. high, native of 



