Cottage Pink Plant

From late spring until the first frost the handsome foliage is topped by sprays of bright pink flowers that attract butterflies.

Cottage pink plant. During the day the leaves open out to receive sunlight but at night they retract and fold up like small umbrellas adding interest to the plant. Weeks before the last frost in your area. They are used to determine whether a plant is likely to be perennial in your area.

Flowers bloom late may to july and produce a spicy clove scent. A mat forming perennial to 20 inches tall that produces pink white purple or bicolored flowers with dark centers. Flowers are spicily fragrant in rose pink or white with single or double flowers lightly to heavily fringed bloom in late spring and summer they are a mainstay of the cottage garden providing an attractive edging for peonies or roses.

This plant is hardy in zones 5 10 zones are based on the lowest average temperature an area is expected to receive during the winter. Dianthus also called pinks is treasured for its grasslike blue green foliage and abundant starry flowers which are often spicily fragrant. Cutting back flowers promotes longer bloom.

Space seeds or seedlings 10 12 apart. Dianthus plants range from tiny creeping groundcovers to 30 inch tall cut flowers which are a favorite with florists. If planting outdoors sow them after the soil has begun to warm in the spring.

If your zone is equal to or higher than the zone listed for the plant it will be hardy for you and thrive in your climate. Sow cottage pink seeds early in the season and cover lightly with soil.