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Dianthus dead from acidic soil?
jaffacakes
Posts: 434
in Plants
Hi all, I planted some Dianthus perennials last year i got from B & Q.I think it was Dianthus "shirley temple" they were called 
They bloomed last summer but this spring there is no signs of life and i thought these were evergreen. Apparently they like good drainage but i'm not sure that's why they have died. My lavender seem to be fine in the same area.
Would acidic soil kill them? I am thinking this might be the reason. i guess i wont be growing pinks again in my garden if this is the case. Bit annoyed because they weren't cheap. Maybe i'll try and lift them and put them in pots 
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Lavender's soil needs are very similar to those of pinks, that is, neutral to alkaline pH, drained and rather dry.
I can't grow them. Same experience as you, jaffa, I get one year from them and I do have lavender that's 5 years old (although I've lost a number as well). Average pH in my garden is 5 (i.e. acidic) but it's also clay so it might be drainage, might be acidity, could be both. It's also windy here so evergreens generally struggle because they dry out. I think lavender is a lot tougher than is often suggested; give it a fighting chance and it will fight - it's not indicative that other plants that like similar conditions will also thrive
ETA the alpine dianthus do really well here
Last edited: 03 April 2017 06:01:39
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
In my experience problems with most dianthus have been largely due to poor drainage in the winter. I used to garden on clay and the only way I could keep them going was by incorporating large amounts of grit into a sheltered south facing slope.
Last edited: 03 April 2017 07:21:39
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ah! I don't know Dianthus 'Shirley Temple' so I googled ... Hayloft Plants specifically mentions that they "dislike acidic soils".
So that may well be your problem ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you all. Maybe it could be a combination of both drainage and acid soil. I must test my soil again. i used one of these mini testers with colours and it was neutral to acid. I think it might be more acidic than neutral because we have a lot of magnolias and pieris forest flame growing in area. Maybe my lavender has survived because i put more effort in when planting it. i think i knew they needed good drainage so made the effort
none of my my dianthus even in pots have lived long,we're on clay, I think (only think, I've never measured ph is neutral as camelias do well on our road but my hydrangeas turned pink(?!)) I used a fair quantity of grit but will now stick to pots (and use pot feet like I never remember to!) and more grit!