SOUTHVIEW NURSERIES
CHEQUERS LANE, EVERSLEY CROSS,
HOOK, HAMPSHIRE RG27 0NT
Tel: 0118 973 2206
We have a particular love of these beautiful plants and are now holders of one of the national collections of old pinks. Love of the diversity in the dianthus family has gripped gardeners since at least the 17th century when John Parkinson wrote in his 'Garden of Pleasant Flowers' and described over sixty different garden varieties and species. They are truly part of our national garden heritage.
Naming of some varieties is rather muddled. Our naming follows a meeting of pinks experts in 1993 where many flowers of pinks were brought for comparison and a consensus agreed over certain cultivar names. The assumed date of introduction of some cultivars may be open to question. What is not open to question is the intrinsic beauty of the flowers.
CULTIVATION. Pinks require a sunny position in well drained soil. Avoid planting under overhanging trees or shrubs. Feed with bonemeal in spring and dress the soil with chalk or ground limestone before planting. If your soil is heavy then add good quantities of grit or pea shingle. Growing them on a mound to allow excess water to drain away is also of benefit. Pinks withstand drought exceptionally well, but must be watered well after planting to allow them to establish.
The following are named pinks raised from cuttings and all pot grown in 7 or 9 cm pots. The old varieties flower in June and July giving a mass of scented blooms. The more modern varieties are perpetual flowering i.e. June to the first frosts or longer if protected. Dead heading is the best way to have continual flowering and mixing old and new gives the benefits of scent and long flowering.