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Dianthus 'Pink Kisses'

Lancashire LassLancashire Lass Posts: 367
edited September 2021 in Plants
I have had Dianthus for the first time this year and had flowers all summer. They are now dead headed having flowered for the last time. How do i get them through winter or is it not worth bothering?
I have also taken successful cuttings. Again how to get them through winter? I have a cold greenhouse, a porch or a conservatory that i could use. 
Any advice please?
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The cuttings will be fine in any of those @Lancashire Lass, just ticking over. They look good    :)
    I bought this dianthus but I don't find it particularly good compared to others. I think it's been bred for short term impact.
    Perfectly hardy though, so you can just keep it somewhere that it won't get waterlogged. I tuck any potted dianthus up against walls or fences. It'll be wet where you are too, so that's a good solution  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Lancashire LassLancashire Lass Posts: 367
    Thanks Fairygirl. I have had this flowering for months and it's been prolific as well. Also the cuttings struck well so it's been all in all a good'en and well worth keeping if possible. I'll take your advice thanks. Any recommendation for other Dianthus that have done well for you?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Glad it's worked well for you @Lancashire Lass   :)
    I have a couple of whites - I'll see if I can find the names.
    I think one is Coconut Sundae, but I'll check. The other might be Silver Star. I should have some photos of them too. They're quite similar. 
    I have a shocking pink one which is almost invasive as it does so well here. It might be Neon Star. Flowers for months

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Lancashire LassLancashire Lass Posts: 367
    I potted mine up in order to place them next to one of the garden benches so that we caught the wonderful scent. It worked really well, it gets sun all day so the smell is all encompassing and very heady. Hence the cuttings - I want more around the garden. Very easy to look after as well, just keep dead heading and the flowers kept coming. 😄
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I love them @Lancashire Lass, but I don't have a very good sense of smell, so I have to be up close to benefit. They do need heat to get the release of that scent.
    That shocking pink one isn't terribly scented. 
    I dead head religiously because the flowers do get manky in the rain. There are some nice single ones too. 
    There's a very famous nursery up here called Edrom - they have a good number of dianthus - some are unusual varieties. So does Craigiehall  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I bought three Pink Kisses for £1 from a local GC at the end of the season last year and just popped them in the ground.  They overwintered fine and flowered but I couldn't keep on top of the deadheading and I wasn't that enamoured of them. But en masse and with regular deadheading I'm sure yours will look (and smell) lovely.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • Lancashire LassLancashire Lass Posts: 367
    The reason i wanted to overwinter them and have also taken cuttings is because they have been so successful for me this year. I have fairly well stuffed then into the pot which has probably helped with the intensity of both the flowering and the scent. I intend to put the cuttings into another pot so that i can strategically placed them near where we relax in the garden. Whether they will be happy to be so crowded  in the same pot into another year will remain to be seen!
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    You could separate the original plants and plant them in the ground, then use the container for some of the cuttings.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Lancashire LassLancashire Lass Posts: 367
    JennyJ said:
    You could separate the original plants and plant them in the ground, then use the container for some of the cuttings.
    That's worth thinking about Jenny. Maybe take a couple of plants out of the pot and give the remaining plants a bit more room again come Spring? It would be an opportunity to get some new compost into the pot as well. Or as you suggest, replace them completely with the cuttings. Thanks for the idea.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I couldn't get it to spread at all  :)
    I had it potted, but then I planted it out, but still very little 'action'. I've taken a couple of cuttings, so I'll see if they take. 
    I wasn't overly keen on it, so I'm not too bothered if it doesn't do anything. I did wonder if it had been propagated using a 'teabag', but I couldn't see one. 
    I'll give it another chance - maybe shout at it a bit - and if doesn't sharpen it's ideas up, it'll go in the compost bin  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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