Dianthus Sugar n' Spice is an herbaceous perennial offering 4 seasons of interest. Blooming continually from spring to fall, this evergreen plant sets masses of huge, highly serrated blooms. The fringy flowers put on a spectacular tri-color show. Borne in clusters of 3 to 4 and held aloft lush foliage on sturdy stems, the flirty, spice-scented flowers attract bees and butterflies to the garden and make excellent, long-lasting additions to fresh floral bouquets.
A Dianthus hybrid, commonly called carnations or pinks, Sugar n' Spice is a well-branched, loosely tufted, quintessential cottage garden plant. Carnation has a compact, mounding habit of grassy silver-blue leaves and is shown to best effect when massed in landscapes or grouped in mixed beds, borders, and containers.
Carnations grow best in a sunny location with moderately fertile, evenly moist, well-draining, gritty loams, having a 5.5 to 6.2 pH. Although carnations are low maintenance, deadheading spent flowers encourages blooms and trimming back in summer after blooming stimulates new growth.
