Princess Di Graces the June Garden

Princess Di, short for Dianthus, has returned in regal splendor to my garden this June.  Self-seeding readily, this annual seems more like a perennial.  Commonly called Sweet William, Pinks, or Carnation, her  name  translates as  " flower of the gods. "

For centuries Dianthus has been one of the sought after flowers because of its ease in growing and the palette of colors it comes in from bright solids of white, rose, red, lavender and pink as well as bi-colors with beautiful eyes.   There are more than 300 species to chose from.

Dianathus has many design uses in the garden -here I've used dwarf and mat-forming varieties in my potager and it looks good next to my herbs,  blueberry shrubs, boxwood, roses, beans and tomatoes.  It also mixes well with grey colored perennials such as Lamb's Ear, or Sage.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved