Common pink

Common pink: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, dense, evergreen cushions 20–30 cm tall and about 30 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow and grass-like, blue-grey with a waxy bloom; they stay on through winter.

Flower

Flowers 2–4 cm across on slender stems, single or double, with deeply cut, fringed petals. In flower from May to July.

Colour

White, pink, red or bicoloured, often with a darker eye or edge.

Scent

Strong and sweet, of cloves; strongest on a warm, sunny day.

Roots

Shallow and fibrous. Trailing stems sometimes root where they touch the soil.

Flowering: May–July · Harvest and fruit: May–July · Sowing: March–April · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: July–August

Why grow it?

• One of the most fragrant perennials: on warm days the clove scent hangs around the plant.
• The blue-grey foliage stays attractive all winter, even when nothing is in flower.
• Bees and butterflies visit the flowers, especially the single-flowered forms.
• Ideal as a low, tidy edging at the front of a border, along a path or in a gravel garden.
• A charming cut flower: a few stems will scent a small vase.
• Little work and copes well with drought once it is well rooted.

Common pink: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: in shade it hardly flowers and the cushion falls open.
• Poor to moderately fertile, free-draining soil: sand or loam, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist. Wet feet in winter are its worst enemy.
• Lovely at the front of a border, in a rock garden, on a wall or in gravel.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart; for an edging, set them in a row.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: The same sun, dry soil and lime; together a fragrant edging.
• Catmint: A blue haze that looks lovely with pink-flowered pinks.
• Thyme: A low, scented ground cover between the gravel.
• Roses: A classic pairing: pinks as a fragrant edging at the foot of roses.
• Harebell: Fine blue bells in the same dry, sunny spot.

Common pink: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or September–October, when the soil is not too wet.
2. Loosen the soil and on heavy ground mix in some coarse sand or fine gravel. Do not add fresh manure.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in its pot, never deeper: the crown must stay dry above the soil.
4. Leave 25–30 cm between plants.
5. Water straight away, and again in dry weather during the first few weeks.
6. If you like, spread a thin layer of gravel around the base instead of compost: it keeps the neck of the plant dry.

Care

Water

Only in the first year during dry spells. After that it copes well with a dry summer; too much water makes it rot.

Feeding

Hardly needed. A thin layer of compost in spring is enough; on acid soil scatter a little lime in March.

Deadheading

Remove faded flowers regularly: it flowers for longer and stays tidy.

Cut flowers

Cut stems when the first buds have just opened; they last about a week in a vase.

Renewing

After 3–4 years the cushions go bare and woody in the middle. Replace them with young plants grown from cuttings.

Weeding

Weed by hand: grass and weeds easily get into the cushion and are hard to pull out.

Tip: Every three or four years, take a few cuttings in summer: you will always have young, full cushions ready when the old clump goes bare.

Common pink: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August.

When: Deadhead during flowering; after flowering, in July–August, cut all flower stems back to the cushion of leaves.

How:

• Snip off faded flowers with their stalk, just above a pair of leaves.
• After flowering, remove all flower stems down to the blue-grey cushion.
• Lightly trim long, straggly shoots to keep the cushion compact.
• In March, clear away brown, dead leaves between the cushions.

Caution: Do not cut into old, bare wood: it rarely shoots again from there. If a plant becomes too bare, replace it with a cutting.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In June–July: pull or cut non-flowering shoots of 8–10 cm just below a node, remove the lower leaves and insert them in sandy cutting compost. Roots form in 3–4 weeks; plant out in September.

Seed

Indoors in March–April at 15–20 °C, barely covered. Prick the seedlings out into small pots and plant them out in September. Seedlings do not always resemble the parent.

Layering

In summer, press a trailing stem lightly into the soil and pin it down. Once it has rooted, cut it free and replant it.

Common pink: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: frost is no problem, wet soil is.
• Do not cover the cushion with a thick layer of leaves or mulch: it will rot underneath.
• In a pot: make sure there is a drainage hole, stand the pot on feet and move it under cover in wet spells.

Diseases and pests

• Crown rot: The plant turns brown from the centre and comes loose at soil level. The cause is wet, heavy soil: plant higher, mix grit into the soil and water less.
• Bare cushions: Older plants go bare in the middle. That is normal after a few years: take cuttings and replace the old clump.
• Rust: Brown pustules on the leaves, especially in damp weather. Remove affected leaves and choose an open, airy spot.
• Aphids: On young shoots and buds in spring. Hose them off with water; ladybirds usually deal with the rest.
• Few flowers: Too much shade or too much fertiliser. Move it to a sunny spot and stop feeding.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Sow indoors. Clear dead leaves between the cushions.
• April: Plant. Sow indoors. Scatter a little lime on acid soil.
• May: Flowering starts. Prick out seedlings.
• June: In full flower. Deadhead. Cut flowers for a small vase.
• July: Last flowers. Take cuttings. Cut back flower stems after flowering.
• August: Cut spent stems back to the cushion.
• September: Plant. Plant out rooted cuttings and seedlings.
• October: Plant. Remove fallen leaves from the cushions.
• November: Rest. The blue-grey foliage stays all winter.

Edible and useful

Flowers (May–July)

Only scented pinks are worth it: common pink and Cheddar pink smell strongly of cloves, and their petals taste sweet and lightly spicy. Pick the flowers from May to July on a dry morning, when they have just opened, and shake them to remove insects. Pull the petals out of the calyx and snip off the white base: it is bitter. Scatter them over a salad, fruit or a dessert, or infuse them in sugar or syrup: red and deep pink flowers give the best colour. Also pick off the faded flowers so the plant flowers for longer, and leave plenty for the bees and butterflies.

Storing

Fresh petals keep for a day in a closed box with damp kitchen paper in the fridge. To dry them, spread them in a single layer on a rack or sieve somewhere airy and out of the sun; in a closed jar away from the light they keep for six months. The scented sugar keeps for a year, the syrup for a few months.

Caution: Only eat flowers from plants that have not been sprayed: florists’ carnations and newly bought plants from the garden centre are often treated; let new plants grow for a season first. Only eat the petals, without the white base, and not the calyx, stems or leaves; use them in moderation, as a garnish or flavouring. Not every pink: in the catalogue, sweet William and China pink are listed as poisonous, and those are not eaten. Never pick wild pinks in the countryside: they are rare there.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Sugar scented with pinks (Other · 1 small jar (± 200 g) · 10 min + 2 weeks infusing)
• Syrup of pinks (Syrup · ± 300 ml · 30 min + overnight infusing)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The species name plumarius means ‘feathered’: it refers to the deeply cut, feathery petals.
• Dianthus comes from the Greek dios (god) and anthos (flower): the flower of the gods.
• The colour pink was named after these flowers, not the other way round.