Dianthus

About

Heavenly scents and pretty blooms from these carnation relatives. Dianthus is the scientific name for a group of plants that includes carnations, sweet Williams, gillyflowers, and pinks. However, when gardeners talk about Dianthus, they are usually talking about the low-growing hybrids and the clump-forming species types like clove pinks. The heritage varieties generally have the best scent while the hybrids will produce showier blooms. Use them as edging for beds and borders, or in raised beds and rockeries.