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Dianthus (Hardy Pink)
Dianthus are prized around the world for their mostly evergreen leaves that are often chalky-blue. They are most loved for their fragrant flowers that perfume the garden in spring. For us, growing dianthus in our heat and humidity has always been a challenge, even in well-drained soils. We are always excited when we find a dianthus that performs as well for us as it does in cooler climates. Our selection is a result of extensive trials here at PDN...enjoy! |
Dianthus barbatus 'Heart Attack' (Perennial Sweet William)
Sun Zone: 4-8, at least 12" tall Origin: S. Europe
This PDN introduction came to us around 1990 from former garden curator James Stevenson. Unlike most biennial sweet williams, our original clump is now over 15 years old. With so many folks asking about it, we finally got busy propagating and officially introduced it in 2001. Dianthus 'Heart Attack' starts flowering in early spring and continues for months with brilliant red-black, carnation-like flowers atop glossy, dark green, strap-like foliage. Unlike other biennial D. barbatus that we have grown, this one keeps returning and getting better each year. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04368
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Dianthus 'Devon Siskin' PP 14,377 (Devon Siskin Pink)
SunZone: 5-7 7" tall Origin: Hybrid
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(aka: D. 'Siskin Clock') This stunning, new heat-tolerant dianthus comes from English dianthus hybridizer John Whetman. The compact clumps of grey-green foliage are topped in spring by stunning white flowers with a bright red center. To top it off, the edge of each petal is also surrounded by a bright crimson border. We have found this to rebloom well in the early fall...a nice bonus. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05624
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Dianthus 'Feuerhexe' (Firewitch Hardy Pink)
SunZone: 3-9 8" tall Origin: Hybrid
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(syn: D. 'Firewitch') Not only is this German hybrid (Kayser & Seibert Nursery 1957) one of the bluest-foliaged dianthus, it is also one of the most heat-tolerant and certainly the longest-flowering. I was amazed to find this being sold and used regularly in northern and central FL. The low-growing mat of narrow, silver-blue foliage is topped in early spring by bright magenta single flowers. For us, D. 'Feuerhexe' flowers sporadically all summer and heavily from October into December. Even after flowering, the intensely colored foliage makes a great color-foil in the garden. For best results, plant dianthus in bright light with well-drained soils. It was selected as the 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year by the PPA. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02786
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Dianthus 'First Love' (First Love Hardy Pink)
SunZone: 3-9 15" tall Origin: Hybrid
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If you love pinks and you haven't grown Dianthus 'First Love', what are you waiting for? This amazing plant from Takii Seed Co. is hardy within a barbed wire strand of the North Pole, has fragrant flowers from spring to frost, and is incredibly easy to grow in a wide range of conditions. The 15" tall spikes of flowers emerge white and then change to light pink and then dark pink, which means you will have all three colors at the same time...like when I wash my clothes when my wife is out of town. I forgot to mention the foliage looks great in the winter...assuming you're not under snow. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06460
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Dianthus 'Greystone' (Greystone Hardy Pink)
SunZone: 3-9 9" tall Origin: Hybrid
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We are pleased to offer a great white-flowered counterpart to the well-known D. 'Bath's Pink' from the garden of NC plantsman Norman Beal. We have trialed this for several years and are convinced that it performs as well as its parent. The steel-grey foliage makes a tight mound to 4' wide. In early spring, the clumps are topped with very fragrant, heavily-fringed, white single flowers. If the temperatures are very cool, then the flowers may carry the slightest tint of pink. We had been waiting for the white counterpart to D. 'Bath's Pink'...we think this is it. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03795
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Dianthus 'Neon Star' PP 14,549 (Neon Star Hardy Pink)
SunZone: 5-8 7" tall Origin: Hybrid
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Many of the English hybrid dianthus turn up their toes at the mere thought of a hot, humid NC summer, but Dianthus 'Neon Star' has been a delightful surprise in our trials. From dianthus breeder John Whetman of Devon, England comes a new dianthus that makes a 7" tall tight mound of grey-blue foliage, topped in spring with 1"+ flowers of the most fluorescent neon pink that we have seen on a live plant. Imagine Britney Spears' lipstick and you get the idea. We think this will quickly become a favorite for southern gardeners...the dianthus, that is.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05109
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Dianthus plumarius 'Birmingham' (Double White Garden Pink)
SunZone: 4-8 12" tall Origin: Hybrid
We were given this plant many years ago by Linda Askey, longtime garden editor for Southern Living Magazine, who got it from a gardener in Birmingham, AL. While this may be an old passalong cultivar, we haven't been able to determine the name and hence the new moniker. D. 'Birmingham' makes a 2' wide patch of steely blue foliage, topped in late April and early May with masses of 1' tall stalks of double white fragrant carnations. This heat and humidity loving selection is always the talk of our spring open house, so we felt it was time to share...enjoy. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02638
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Dianthus 'Wicked Witch' PPAF (Wicked Witch Hardy Pink)
SunZone: 3-9 8" tall Origin: Hybrid
(aka: originally introduced as D. 'Red Devil') This new PDN introduction was discovered here as a flower mutation on our patch of Dianthus 'Feuerhexe' (Firewitch). Our trials have shown it to be identical to the PPA Plant of the Year, D. 'Feuerhexe', except in flower color, which is a lovely cherry red instead of the typical pink. The tight mats of powder blue foliage are topped in late April with 8" tall spikes of clove-like fragrant cherry red (RHS 66A) flowers that nearly obscure the foliage. As with the parent, we see sporadic rebloom through summer and into fall. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05426
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Dianthus x allwoodii 'Frosty Fire' (Frosty Fire Dwarf Carnation)
SunZone: 4-8 6" tall Origin: Hybrid
We have been quite impressed with the performance of this Dianthus x allwoodii (D. plumarius x caryophyllus) in our summer tolerance trials, which usually make short work of exterminating most dianthus. D. 'Frosty Fire' makes a tight 15" wide mound of very silvery blue foliage, topped in spring with 6" tall, bright cherry red, fragrant flowers. If the plants are deadheaded, we have even seen some summer and fall reblooming. D. 'Frosty Fire' is totally unfazed by our brutal heat and humidity...one of the best rock garden dianthus that we have ever grown! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07305
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Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
This favorite group of woodland perennials is ever expanding. From the typical clumpers, to the new hybrids, to the climbing members of the family, most bleeding hearts are very easy to grow and rewarding with a long season of delicate-looking flowers. Most dicentras are a can’t-miss plant with a wide range of cultural tolerances. |
Dicentra eximia 'Dolly Sods' (Bleeding Heart)
Part Sun to ShadeZone: 3-8 18" tall Origin: USA
(syn: coll. #A2VA-039) We have made many wild collections of Dicentra eximia, but none have performed as well in our hot climate as this clone from the famous Dolly Sods in West Virginia's Tucker Co. Our 5-year-old clump is now 18" tall x 3' wide. The lacy, dissected, blue-green foliage is topped all spring and summer with light pink flowers held just above the foliage. We are offering seedlings of this form, which kept flowering through 75 days above 90 degrees F in 2002...outstanding. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01264
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Dicentra scandens 'Athens Yellow' (Climbing Yellow Bleeding Heart)
Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-10 120" tall Origin: Himalayas
This Allan Armitage selection (cutting propagated) of the rare, climbing, yellow-flowered bleeding heart was made for its incredibly floriferous nature. Our plant is a virtual flowering machine, producing thousands of yellow, heart-shaped flowers from April through November. The fast-growing corydalis-like, grey-green foliage climbs loosely up a trellis, fence, or sleeping neighbor...but unlike neighbors, it's never invasive. D. 'Athens Yellow' ranks high on the "can't live without it" list! Even in northern climates, D. scandens makes a superb tender perennial. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01635
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Dichromena
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Dichromena latifolia (White Star Grass)
SunZone: 7-10, at least 15" tall Origin: USA
(syn: Rhynchospora latifolia) From the savannah and marsh regions of coastal VA through FL comes this truly bizarre member of the sedge family. The slowly spreading clumps (3' in 2 years) of green foliage blends with the other green reed-like sedges until summer, when the 15" stalks are topped with spectacular white bracts (modified leaves) that surround the tiny flowers. While dichromena will prosper in all but the driest of garden soils, it prefers a moist, boggy site, right beside the leaking water garden pool! If you've got a horticultural know-it-all nearby, I bet a white-top sedge will fool them! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04757
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Dicliptera
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Dicliptera suberecta (Hummingbird Plant)
SunZone: 7-10, at least 20" tall Origin: Uruguay
(aka: Jacobinia suberecta, Justicia suberecta) We have had so many requests from garden visitors for this plant, so here it is again. This is one of the few ornamentals from Uruguay that we grow...makes you wonder what else might be there. The felty grey leaves adorn this 20" tall x 3' wide, heat- and drought-loving clump, topped from late spring until fall with terminal clusters of tubular orange flowers...a hummingbird's dream come true...ours also. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01285
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Dionaea
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Dionaea muscipula 'Akai Ryu' (Red Dragon Fly Trap)
SunZone: 5-9 4" tall Origin: USA
Green fly traps are from Venus. Red fly traps are from Mars! This spectacular and vigorous 1997 introduction from the Atlanta Botanical Garden is the result of years of line-breeding by carnivorous plant guru Ron Gagliardo. Dionaea 'Akai Ryu', which means "red dragon", has bright red stems ending in carmine-red traps. This is truly a stunning conversation piece either in a container garden or when grown in a bog garden. Royalties from each sale go to the endangered species conservation program at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04107
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Disporopsis / Disporum (Solomon's Seal)
These related groups of Solomon's seal occur both in the US and Asia. This year we are pleased to offer several of the best that Asia has to offer. Despite many of these being from warmer Asian climates, we have been amazed at their winter hardiness...some to Zone 5! Disporum/Disporopsis are great, easy-to-grow woodland plants that combine well with both ferns and hostas. |
Disporopsis pernyi (Evergreen Solomon's Seal)
Part Sun to ShadeZone: 6-9 15" tall Origin: China alternate image
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Imagine an evergreen Solomon's seal with glossy, dark green foliage...that's what you've got in this little-known, tough-as-nails genus of Solomon's seal from the rocky mountains of Southern China. The arching 15" stems (evergreen to 0 degrees F) arise from a pencil-sized, underground, slowly spreading rhizome. Each stem is adorned with black-green oblong leaves. In late spring, each leaf axil is home to a small, white bell-like flower...a slowly developing clump (2' wide in 10 years) that makes a superb show in the woodland garden! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #02739
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Disporopsis pernyi 'Low Man' (Dwarf Evergreen Solomon's Seal)
Light Shade to ShadeZone: 6-9, guessing 6" tall Origin: China
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We are pleased to introduce this cute rock garden selection of the Chinese native Disporopsis pernyi, selected by Arkansas's Larry Lowman as a mutant from a batch of tissue culture Disporopsis pernyi. The 6" tall stems are heavily speckled, purple, and adorned with 1.5" long, glossy green leaves. This cute plant is obscenely slow to the point that it will never be more than a Bio plant (botanical interest only). Disporopsis 'Low Man' will be particularly treasured by those of you who like very small plants, are particularly detail-oriented to the point of being anal-retentive, or those who have miniature trains and are looking for something new. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06219
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| <Danae - Deparia] | [Disporum - Dryopteris> |
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