I had mine growing outside all summer -- as it has started to warm up some it's taken off ... it is a TOUGH plant.

Did I say SUMMER -- whoops! Meant winter -- but it did survive our HOT Lanta summers as well so ... it is tough =)

yes it's used around here (not too often, due to the salt) but the heat is no problem

I bought some Dianthus from Walmart 2 years ago as a fall filler. It had no discriptiion on the label other then "Dianthus". I still don't know what kind it is. To my surprise it survived that winter and this (along with our hot and humid summer in between). It has been a pleasant surprise to me in my climate. But in a window box (as opposed to the ground) it may be a different story. I would hazard a guess that if temps only stay in the 20's for a short while, then your Dianthus will survive.

I agree with Maryl. I've had various colors of dianthus growing for about 4 years and it seems to thrive in even the coldest of weather here in E. Tx. I've seen it coated in ice one week and coated in flowers two weeks later.

But what it might do in a window box I don't know. But I would bet that it will be just fine as long as it is well watered.

RJ

I have it too. What kills me is the green houses ofteb label it as an annual and thats so far from the case. I have seen packets of seeds describing it as a bi annual but thats not true either. I survives the cold every year.

Minw survived the winter in pots and did very well .. I assume in a window box it will do just fine!

Mine from last year are starting to bloom. They remained an evergreen for me. I never would have thought that and to think I almost pulled them up after they bloomed last year.

Y'all can say that again....my dianthus have kept coming back now for 3 years. Just trim them down after they bloom and sometimes I get 3 rounds of blooms a summer......

I have about 2 dozen pink ones that I planted last November. They are just gorgeous right now. But I was planning on pulling them when it gets hot (in about a month) and replacing them with "summer flowers." Does anyone think they will survive over the summer? They get full morning sun until about noon. Thanks for the advice.

They stay green under the snow here in Minnesota, so they're very hardy. There are varieties that are biennial, though, so don't be surprised if they don't return for a third year.

Hi,
I live in Wisconsin, and when I moved up here, the first two plants for my garden that I bought were dianthus and mums. At the end of my first summer, when Wal-mart was doing it's closeout sales, I picked up 15 of the dianthus, which were really ratty looking. I asked the guy in the garden center if they would actually live, and he said that they are as tough as nails, so I bought them and stuck them in the ground.

The next winter we had freezing cold, a ton of snow, sleet - you name it. The folowing spring, when it started to get warm, here they came. They mounded into 2' bushes, smelled wonderful, and looked absolutely gorgeous.

This is my 6th year with them and just like Old Faithful, they're coming up again. I've divided them several times and replanted them, and they still perform and put on their show year after year.

The one thing to remember is to keep deadheading the spent blooms, and about mid season, give them a realy good haircut.(about 1/3 of the way down)

You could also take them out of the planters at the end of the season and put them into the ground so that they will come back next year, and then put them back into the planters next season.

Hi Pcola,
We are next door to you in sw Alabama, and yes they will take our hot summer sun. Ours have been in the garden for over four years now, and we leave them un attended all summer long. They are putting on quite a show right now.

WannaBGardener

Mine are showing well also. I have them in a border with deep purple pansies and white snapdragons. They're all in bloom right now. I put them all in last fall and I'm just so pleased with myself! When it gets too hot I'll replace the pansies and snaps but I'll leave the pinks. Thanks for your advice.

This reply is belated, but for what it's worth, a couple of "Maiden Pink" Dianthus (from WalMart)planted last summer continued to bloom sporadically through August which included several near-freezing nights here at 9,200' (Zone 4A). After being frozen under 2' of snow last winter, they came back this spring and have spread & been blooming like gang-busters since early July. Mid-summer nights up here are seldom above 40 & commonly below freezing.

Some dianthus are hardier than others. If the leaves are a grey color they are definately hardy, if green they can be iffy. Here in Charlotte they sell the green leaved varieties as annuals alothough I have them come back provided I leave them alone until mid-April, at which time I trim them back. By mid May they are about a foot tall and wide and gorgeous. After they flower I trim them back again and they flower all summer.

We purchased two plants, possibly from Walmart two years ago and they are labeled Dianthus Clavelina. They have wintered over twice, by bringing them into the house in the winter. I want to purchase some seeds or plants of this genus and species, but cannot find this species listed anywhere.

Anybody recognize this name?

Thanks for any help

seedstarterabc-
I'm not overly familiar with any dianthus, but can you not save seeds from existing plants? Or divide them?

We cleaned out Lowe's of their (sad-looking)clearance plants of the "annual" dark-leaved dianthus & planted them last fall rather late. At the time they were without blooms & needed a little snipping to clean them up. They were evergreen all winter (we watered them before the freezes) and are coming into bloom now! They're going to be gorgeous!

Its mid-April in Philadelphia and I just planted 4 inch, dark pink and white colored dianthas in the flower bed and they do smell great. My concern is how hardy does the ground soil need to be? Because when I dug the hole to plant them the deep soil was not loose and had a rust brown color. I added a little fresh soil but I wonder if that original brown soil will hurt the health of the flower. I also have a little mulch in the flower bed. At night the temp is betweeen 40 and 48 degrees F. I'm glad that I heard they will survive low fall like temps. So far I have heard great things about this flowere.

This really depends on whether you have perennial or annual dianthus. Perennial dianthus is very cold hard....-20 to -30 depending on cultivar. Perennial dianthus has more of a silver/gray color to the leaves which resemble grass blades. Annual dianthus has dark green flat leaves. Annual dianthus is only cold hardy to around 30 degrees. However, many people mistakenly think it is perennial. It is not. The reason they get plants again next year is due to reseeding, not coming back from the roots, which is what the definition of perennial is. A plant that is normally cold hardy to 0(zone 7) will have to be hardy to zone 6 if planted in a window box or pot. Water is your first line defense against cold damage. You could also cover with a sheet, burlap, or some other cloth....don't use plastic. All annual product at Walmart has a UPC outlined in red.. All perennial product had a UPC outlined in purole. All plant tags should have "Annual" or "Perennial" clearly marked, be that at Walmart or Lowe's or Depot. If it does not, it may have fallen out....check other pots around the one you are wanting to buy. If none of them have it, the tagging process may have gotten missed at the supplier. All supplier names are also on the UPC. In absence of any tag, yi may call the supplier with a detailed description and they should be able to tell you if your plant is an annual or perennial variety.