Electric Red Dianthus

For a profusion of amazing blooms, that will brighten your beds like you wouldn’t believe, plug the Electric Red Dianthus into your garden. A two-year old plant, with a mat of vegetation about 18 inches across, produces as many as 600 blooms for the main spring display, and then goes on to produce a second big display at the beginning of fall. The bright red of the flowers will be a spark of glory across your garden, and this great little plant is destined to be a garden favorite. The silver-green foliage forms a low, trailing mat that is contour-hugging in a rock garden, or trailing over a wall, and it looks great planted at the edge of a bed so it can spread over a path or patio, softening the hard lines of paving or stonework. The individual flowers are close to 2 inches across, brilliant red, and contain up to 30 petals, each one frilly, with serrated edges. Flowering in spring lasts up to 6 weeks, and if trimmed, plants usually bloom again a little through summer and more in early fall, giving you lots of color throughout the gardening season. This tough and reliable plant, packed with an abundance of blooms you won’t believe, is a great addition to your garden, and perfect for new gardeners, who will see how easy it is to have flowers for weeks and weeks.

• Vibrant, bright-red flowers in an exuberant abundance
• Attractive mat of silver-green foliage is evergreen year-round
• Massive blooming in spring, and a second display in early fall
• Low, spreading mat ideal for edging, rock gardens and walls
• Reliable and easy to grow, even for a new gardener

Plant the Electric Red Dianthus in full sun for maximum blooming. It thrives in well-drained soils, enjoying sandy and gravelly places, and neutral to alkaline soils. If your soil is acidic, keep it happy with a handful of garden lime mixed in when planting. It has good resistance to summer dryness, but water more frequently in the first growing season. It isn’t normally eaten by rabbits or deer, and has no significant pest or disease problems. Trim lightly after the main flowering, to remove dead flowers and to keep the mat neat and tight. This trimming also encourages more flowers. Don’t cut it back in fall as you are probably used to doing with perennials – this one is evergreen and should be left uncut.