Dianthus chinensis Seeds | Chinese Pink
LATIN NAME: Dianthus chinensis
COMMON NAME: Chinese Pink
Plant Profile
The Chinese pink is a short-lived perennial, usually grown as a biennial or an annual, forming a neat tuft of narrow, grey-green leaves twenty to forty centimetres tall. The flowers are borne singly or in loose clusters at the top of the stems, and each has five petals with a deeply fringed, almost lacy edge, in white, pink, crimson or bicoloured, often with a dark eye and a sweet, clove-like scent.
It flowers from May through to September if the old stems are cut back, and it sets seed freely. It is native to northern China, Korea, Mongolia and southeastern Russia, where it grows on dry, stony slopes and in grassland. It has been cultivated in China for at least a thousand years, and it is a common subject in Chinese painting, where it stands for resilience because it flowers on bare rock.
Science & Biotechnology
The fringed edge of the petal gives the plant its English name: the petals look as though they have been cut with pinking shears, and the word pink for the colour comes from the flower rather than the other way round. The fringe is a genetic trait that is also found in Dianthus superbus and in the garden carnation, and it appears to guide pollinators to the nectar at the base of the flower.
The genus is placed in Caryophyllaceae, and the Chinese pinks form a group of closely related species that includes Dianthus superbus, the source of the medicinal herb Qu Mai. Dianthus chinensis itself is a diploid with 30 chromosomes, and it crosses readily with other annual pinks, which is why seed from a garden plant often produces a range of colours rather than coming true.
Uses & Benefits
The Chinese pink is used as a bedding plant, in a rock garden, at the edge of a path and in containers, and it is one of the best plants for a dry, sunny spot with poor soil. The fringed flowers are strongly scented in the evening, which suits them to a seat or a doorway, and they last a week in water as a cut flower.
In Chinese medicine the whole plant is used as a diuretic and for urinary complaints, and the related Dianthus superbus is the official source of Qu Mai; the flowers of both are used. The petals of the scented forms are edible and are used as a garnish, though only the petals should be taken, since the base of the flower is bitter. The plant is short-lived, and a stock is best kept going by sowing seed every year rather than by hoping the old plants will persist.
Growing from Seed
Sow in late winter or early spring at 15-18 °C, on the surface of a free-draining compost, and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite; light helps germination, which takes two to three weeks. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots as soon as they can be handled, and grow them on cool and airy, since damp, warm conditions cause damping-off.
Plant out in spring after hardening off, in full sun and in soil that drains sharply; add grit to heavy soil. Space them 20 centimetres apart. Water the young plants regularly for the first month and then sparingly, since the plant tolerates drought but not wet feet. Deadhead to keep the flowers coming, and sow again in late summer for plants that will flower the following spring, which is the way to keep a continuous stock.
Our Take
A scented, fringed pink for a dry, sunny edge, flowering for months if deadheaded. Sow it every year to keep the stock going.
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