A ground cover or alpine type, Dianthus EverBloom™ Watermelon Ice is an herbaceous perennial offering 3 seasons of interest. Continually flowering from spring to first frost in fall, the plant sets masses of quarter-dollar-sized single to semidouble blooms. The frilly flowers are multitoned in crisp shades of cool pink with white fringe. Borne on short, sturdy stems rising above the foliage, the delightfully fragrant flowers attract bees and butterflies to the garden and make excellent additions to fresh floral bouquets.
Dianthus, commonly called carnations or pinks, are loosely tufted, quintessential cottage garden plants. Watermelon Ice has a densely branched, slow-spreading habit of grassy, silvery blue-green leaves and is shown to best effect when massed in landscapes or grouped in mixed beds, borders, and containers.
Dianthus EverBloom Watermelon Ice grows best in a sunny location with organically rich, evenly moist, well-draining, gritty loams, having a 5.5 to 6.2 pH. Watermelon Ice is deer and disease resistant and pollution tolerant. Although the plant is low maintenance, deadheading spent flowers encourages blooms and trimming back after blooming in summer stimulates growth.
