Dianthus 'Kledg14178' PILLOW BERRY RED

Carnations belong among our typical meadow perennials, and their many forms often appear in gardens of any style - from rockeries and cottage gardens to modern landscapes where especially dwarf and ground-covering forms are designed for mass plantings where they look stunning. Selecta was originally a German breeding company founded in 1932, now it is an international corporation with offices all over the world. They are engaged in developing many new types of these popular perennials and they are successful. Possibly because for hybridizing, they use mostly hardy species which last more than just one season.

PILLOW BERRY RED is a dwarf carnation from the Pillow series introduced in 2015 and bred by Nils Klemm and Martin Glawe from Stuttgart, Germany. It bears single, small, 5-petalled, sweetly fragrant flowers only about 3 cm across. They are deep velvety red and boast a striking, dark maroon star in the center, and a ruby red border along notched margins. They bloom from mid to late May atop about 10 cm long, thin stems and continue to bloom throughout the summer until early autumn. The evergreen leaves are narrow, medium green and form a soft pillow. You simply cannot resist to touch it every time you go by.

Dwarf carnations love free draining but not very dry, neutral to slightly alkaline soils. Never water them with a stream of water into the centre of the tuft, otherwise you will beat the stems and burn a hollow in the center. They respond well to reasonable fertilizing when flowers are produced, and benefit from light shearing after the main flowering flush. This hybrid is hardy to at least -30 °C (USDA zone 5), possibly more but not yet tested.

Last update 15-05-2024