Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Wergan on February 01, 2010, 05:53:01 PM

Title: Dianthus superbus
Post by: Wergan on February 01, 2010, 05:53:01 PM: All the books and sites say that Dianthus superbus is pink. But the flowers I have grown from wild
collected seed in the 2008 distribution are pure white,with greenish spots. It would seem it is either
Dianthus superbus ssp speciosus or ssp alpestrus. Any suggestions so that I can supply
Stuart Pawley with correctly labelled seed next year? I have eight good plants but they flowered too
late to set seed.
Wergan
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: hadacekf on February 01, 2010, 06:13:31 PM: Dianthus superbus flowers to normally pink, but there are also plants with white flowers.
Wellcome to the Forum.
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: Maggi Young on February 01, 2010, 09:46:58 PM: I see from the seedlist of 2007-2008 that seed of Dianthus suberbus was contributed from the Alps and the Pyrenees.
In this photo essay by Cliff Booker, from the main website:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/monthfeature/dec2007/gal2.html

....here is a photo of a white with pink spots and green.... D. superbus from the Dolomites ...

click on the photo to enlarge it.....
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: Lesley Cox on February 02, 2010, 02:54:50 AM: The flowers are indeed, superb but in my own plants, from AGS seed, the foliage is such a disappointment being long, rangy, scruffy and untidy so that I've decided to heave the lot. Perhaps it's not true to name or not entirely so anyway. :'(
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: Lori S. on February 02, 2010, 05:55:42 AM: Mine (a cultivar called 'Rainbow Loveliness'.... ewww! :P) is not exactly one for the rock garden either... (though I'm not about to pitch it out just yet - it's fine out in the front yard)
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: Wergan on February 03, 2010, 05:42:41 PM: Thanks for the worldwide comments,but any view as to whether seed from the Grisons
would be subspecies alpestrus or ssp speciosum?
Raymond Wergan
[attach=1]
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: Sinchets on February 03, 2010, 08:43:44 PM: My reference books state that subspecies speciosum has more deeply cut petals- but for comparison here is a pic of my subspecies alpestris flowering last summer.
I don't think any of them are meant to belong with the "high alpine aristocracy", given that the species is found on dunes from France across to Japan- as well as montane meadows. I like them though and they have space in woodland edges in my garden ;)
Title: Re: Dianthus superbus
Post by: shelagh on February 04, 2010, 02:05:16 PM: Maggi that really is a beauty. I just love the fringed edges, absolutely perfect.