Dianthus superbus (Fringed Pink)

A popular garden plant, Dianthus superbus (Fringed Pink) is a herbaceous perennial adorned with branched clusters of sweetly scented flowers, up to 2 in. across (5 cm), with five deeply cut fringed petals, pink to lavender with a pale green base. Blooming from early to late summer, the delicate blossoms sit atop sturdy stems, while the slender gray-green leaves, up to 3 in. long (8 cm), form a basal rosette. The leaves are edible when young, and can be eaten when boiled. The sweet nectar of the flowers attracts bees and butterflies. Easy to grow and deer resistant, Fringed Pink is excellent in cottage gardens, perennial borders, or containers where their sweet fragrance can be enjoyed.

• Grows up to 12-24 in. tall (30-60 cm) and 18 in. wide (45 cm). Fringed Pink may self-seed in optimum growing conditions.
• Performs best in full sun in neutral to alkaline, well-drained soils. Tolerates some afternoon shade in hot summer climates.
• Fringed Pink is ideal for cottage gardens, beds and borders, or containers.
• Deadhead to prolong flowering.
• Propagate by seed, by division of the roots, layering of the stems or cuttings from growing shoots.
• Dianthus superbus is native to Europe and northern Asia, from northernmost Spain and France north to arctic Norway, and east to Japan.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.