| Amazon Neon Duo is such a large-flowered, long-blooming, dependable garden performer that it might as well be an entirely new type of Dianthus (perhaps a Super-Sweet William?). This perennial needs no cold period to flower, which means that not only can you sow it in fall or winter for spring blooms, you can also sow it in late spring and be awash in giant magenta and cherry-rose flower clusters just 3 months later! You simply won't believe the bloom size and color intensity of these flowers. The clusters reach 4 to 7 inches across, packed with fringed 3/4-inch blossoms so bright they appear to glow! There are two colors in this mix: zingy magenta-purple and intense cherry-rose. The stems are extra-sturdy, refusing to collapse under the weight of their tremendous bounty. Expect them to last a long time in the garden (even in the worst summer heat!) and up to 2 weeks in the vase! Unbelievable! Amazon Neon Duo is a compact, upright plant about 18 to 24 inches tall, vigorous and eager to please. It gets its strength from its parents, for instead of being a simple biennial Dianthus barbatus, it is the result of a number of crosses within the D. barbatus family. The result is a get-up-and-grow attitude you'll just love! And if you like Duo, you MUST try it alongside its new sibling, tricolored Rose Magic! This Dianthus is hardy from zones 5 through 9, thriving in full sun and any ordinary garden soil, provided it is well-drained. Sow it in late summer, fall, or winter for spring-to-summer blooms or in late spring for fall-to-winter color. A mainstay of any self-respecting border or bed, Amazon Neon also knocks 'em dead in containers of all types, accent plantings, and edgings. Planting it alongside white blooms really shows off the intensity of the fuchsia color (Petunia Avalanche is a stunning companion in windowboxes and tall planters). Pkt is 15 seeds. Zones 5-9. |
