China pink

China pink: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, upright clump 20–30 cm tall and about 25 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow and lance-shaped, 3–5 cm long, green, in opposite pairs along the stems.

Flower

Single or double flowers of 2–4 cm with five toothed petals, alone or in small clusters, from June to September.

Colour

Red, pink, carmine, lilac and white, often two-tone with a dark eye or a pale edge.

Scent

Little or no scent, unlike the garden pink.

Roots

Fine and fairly shallow; they cannot stand wet feet.

Flowering: June–September · Sowing: February–March · Plants: May · Pruning: July

Why grow it?

• Flowers for four months, from June to September, if you deadhead regularly.
• Bright colours and patterns: from pure white to deep red, often with a contrasting eye or a pale edge.
• Draws bees and butterflies to beds and containers.
• Stays low and compact: ideal for edging, pots, window boxes and rock gardens.
• Copes with drought and chalky soil better than many other summer bedding plants.
• Often survives a mild winter and then flowers for a second year.

China pink: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: the more sun, the richer the flowering and the sturdier the plant.
• Free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay lightened with grit or gravel, neutral to chalky.
• Fairly dry to moist; standing water rots the roots.
• An open, airy spot: in a crowded, damp border it gets grey mould more easily.
• Plant 20–25 cm apart; a little closer in pots and window boxes.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.25 m tall, 0.25 m wide

Hardiness

Tolerates light frost (to -10 °C)

Goes well with

• Sweet alyssum: A white, scented edging that stays just as low.
• Lavender: The same sunny, chalky, dry spot; the blue spikes suit pink and red.
• Blue fescue: Grey-blue tufts that tone down the bright flower colours.
• Catmint: Lilac-blue flowers behind the pinks, also loved by bees.
• Lobelia: Blue cushions for a fresh combination in pots and window boxes.

China pink: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May.

1. Plant out in May, after the last night frost, when your own seedlings or bought plants are sturdy enough.
2. Harden off home-raised plants for a week first: outside by day, inside at night.
3. Loosen the soil and, on heavy ground, work some grit or fine gravel into the top layer.
4. Set the plants at the same depth as in their pots, 20–25 cm apart, and firm the soil well.
5. Water in straight away, then during dry spells for the first few weeks.
6. Do not mulch with compost against the stems: a thin layer of fine gravel keeps the base dry.

Care

Watering

Once established, only in long dry spells. In pots water regularly, but let the surface dry out in between.

Feeding

Little feed is needed in open ground. In pots give a liquid feed for flowering plants every 2–3 weeks from June to August.

Pinching out

Pinch out the tips of young plants when they are 10 cm tall: they branch out and give more flowers.

Deadheading

Snip off faded flowers regularly, just above a leaf or a new bud, to keep it flowering.

Weeding

Keep the base free of weeds and crowding neighbours, so the plant stays airy and dry.

Tip: Pinch out the tips of young plants when they are a hand’s width tall: you get compact plants that flower freely. Above all, do not give it wet feet.

China pink: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July.

When: No real pruning is needed. From June to September you deadhead, and in July you can cut back lightly after the first flush of flowers.

How:

• Remove faded flowers with their stalks, down to just above the next leaf or side bud.
• If the plant looks untidy in July, cut all stems back by a third and give some feed: it flowers again after a few weeks.
• Feel free to pick flowers for a small vase: it works as a light trim.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In February–March, indoors at 15–20 °C in seed compost. Barely cover and keep moist; seed germinates in 1–2 weeks. Prick out into small pots when the seedlings have two true leaves.

Cuttings

In summer take cuttings of 5–8 cm from non-flowering shoots, strip the lower leaves and insert them in a mix of sand and potting compost. They root within a few weeks.

China pink: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −10 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• It tolerates frost down to about −10 °C and often survives a mild Belgian winter, especially in dry, free-draining soil.
• Wet winters are a greater danger than cold: on heavy, wet ground it rots.
• If it survives, it shoots again in spring and flowers a second year, often less freely. Remove the dead stems first.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall or under an overhang in winter, so the compost stays dry.

Diseases and pests

• Root and stem rot: The plant wilts and the base turns brown and soft. The cause is wet soil: plant in free-draining ground, water less and use pots with a drainage hole.
• Aphids: Green or black aphids on young shoots and buds. Hose them off or pinch out the tips; ladybirds help too.
• Rust: Brown or orange powdery spots under the leaves. Remove affected leaves, space plants well and do not water over the foliage.
• Slugs: They eat young plants soon after planting out. Pick them off in the evening and keep a close eye on the plants for the first weeks.
• Grey mould: Grey fluff on flowers and buds in wet weather. Snip off faded and affected flowers at once.

Through the year

• February: Sow indoors at 15–20 °C.
• March: Sow indoors. Prick out seedlings into small pots.
• April: Pinch out young plants and grow them on somewhere cool and light. Start hardening off.
• May: Plant out after the last night frost, 20–25 cm apart.
• June: Flowering begins. Deadhead.
• July: Full flower. Cut back lightly after the first flush and give some feed.
• August: Flowering. Deadhead, water pots in dry weather.
• September: Last flowers. Take cuttings.
• October: Clear spent plants, or leave them in a dry, sheltered spot.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Sweet William and China pink are mildly poisonous: eating them can cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea, in children as well as in cats and dogs, and the sap can irritate sensitive skin. Not all pinks are the same: the fragrant petals of common pink, Cheddar pink and large pink are used in the kitchen, but not those of these two. So only use flowers when you are sure which pink they come from, keep a vase of pinks out of reach of cats, and do not let children put flowers in their mouths. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The name Dianthus comes from Greek: dios (of Zeus, divine) and anthos (flower), so ‘flower of the gods’.
• The China pink crosses readily with sweet William (Dianthus barbatus); many modern bedding pinks are such hybrids.
• It belongs to the pink family, along with campions and baby’s breath.