How to grow dianthus is more simple than growing many other plants, when you get down to the bare bones of it!
This sweet little bloomer will keep you in flowers and foliage for a long time – as long as you find out the best ways to grow it, that is… Read on!
What You'll Learn Today
How To Propagate Dianthus
This little plant is easygoing and simple to grow, and propagating it is just as easy. It’s as though it really wants to thrive!
- To take a cutting, you will only need your hands, a pot and some well draining soil.
- Take hold of a non flowering shoot, just below the leaf nodes.
- Pull it sharply until it separates from the main plant, then place it into jar of water to soak it.
- The following day, place it into a pot filled with cuttings compost.
- Water it in well, and keep an eye on it until it takes root and starts to grow.
- Repot it after 3-4 weeks, by which time the roots should have started to grow and the plant will be becoming established.
- Keep it in a shady spot in the garden or in a greenhouse or cold frame.
- Cuttings are best taken between June and September, when the plant is at its healthiest.
- You can also simply allow your dianthus to spread naturally – this plant will happily just continue to grow, given the right conditions!
- Keep an eye on the “mother” plant so that it doesn’t get too leggy, and snip off any overgrown or woody stems.
Whether or not you plant them or just let them grow, this is a super easy way to fill your garden with dianthus, and enjoy the pretty flowers without having to fork out buying them at a nursery!
Here’s a good article, that shows you the best way to propagate dianthus from cuttings.
How To Plant Dianthus
This process varies slightly, depending on whether you are planting your dianthus in the garden or in pots.
There are, of course, similar requirements to keep your dianthus plant healthy whether it is potted or planted out:
- Full sun position.
- Loose, well draining soil.
- Minimal water.
Keeping on top of these things will generally make your dianthus happy and healthy!
For the pots:
- Take a small pot and fill it with a half and half mixture of compost and either perlite or coarse grit.
- Place several dianthus cuttings between 3 and 4 centimeters apart in the pot and gently firm them in.
- If you are planting from seed the process is the same, it just may take a little longer before you start to see the results.
- Keep them warm – you can use a greenhouse, or simply place a plastic bag over the pot.
- Water well until the roots take hold – this will not take long with this tenacious little plant!
- Pot them on into individual pots as they start to grow and crowd each other.
- You can now either keep your dianthus as a pot dwelling patio plant, or choose to plant it out in your garden to live its best life in your borders.
For the garden:
- If you are growing from seed, start them indoors at least two months before the last frost. This will allow the plants enough time to grow.
- Space the plants at least 30cm apart to give them room to grow and spread.
- Plant them in the spring or early summer, to give them a chance to settle in before the flowering season.
- Water them in well initially, then leave off the watering to prevent the roots from rotting – these plants don’t like too much wet!
- Feed them once a month with some all round fertilizer, to give the plant the boost it needs.
Luckily, dianthus is a hardy plant and one that is really very easy to grow. You won’t have to make too much effort before you see results from your labors!
Here’s a great video, showing you all the best ways to plant dianthus:
When To Plant Dianthus?
When you are planting dianthus in the garden, you will have to consider the weather and conditions before you plant it.
It is best to wait for the soil to warm up, well after the last frost has passed, before you put your dianthus out – whether they are seedlings or young plants.
You will want to have them well established before the spring properly starts, to give them a chance to produce those lovely flowers, so don’t leave it too late in the year!
If you are planting out a grown-on dianthus cutting, choose a day that is warm and bright, and get your dianthus settled in a sunny spot in the garden before the weather really starts improving.
To plant out little seedlings, you may wish to leave it a little longer so the weather is even warmer – chances are they won’t flower the year that you plant them, but next year will be a riot of color!
Where To Plant Dianthus?
Dianthus are fairly easygoing and will be happy in most places in your garden – but they do have a few die-hard requirements:
- Full sun. This plant likes it hot! They need full sunlight for most of the day to produce those gorgeous blooms, so give them the sunniest spot you can.
- Well draining soil. If you have an area in your garden that has loose soil that drains water away, this is the spot for dianthus.
- Alkaline soil. Dianthus doesn’t like its conditions acidic, so go for the other end of the pH scale (adding wood ash is a really simple trick to make soil more alkaline).
Dianthus is a lovely and rewarding plant to grow, and one that is fairly easy to care for. This makes it a favorite for many gardeners!
Once you know the best way to to grow dianthus, you can join the ranks of other gardeners who have fallen in love with this plant and never looked back.
I have a large amount of Dianthus seeds. Can I plant them straight outside into the soil?
You can, or course, sow your Dianthus seeds straight into a well-prepared garden bed, and they may very well pop up in the Spring. However, a better bet is to plant them into little pots and keep them warm and safe in a greenhouse or a warm windowsill until they start to sprout.