Dianthus deltoides: characteristics, care and maintenance

dianthus deltoides floor covering plant

A wallcovering plant is one that serves to cover all the empty spaces left in the garden, in areas near ponds, in public spaces such as walks, etc. It is like taking advantage of and using those plants that not only serve to cover the ground, but also provide a little extra beauty to the soil and have few requirements. This is the case of Dianthus deltoides. It is known by the common name of carnation and it is a perfect plant for this type of situation. It has a fairly simple cultivation as long as certain requirements are met.

In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, uses and cultivation of the Dianthus deltoides.

Key features

carnation to cover holes in the garden

The carnation is considered as a perennial plant so it consists of evergreen leaves. Outside of the flowering season, it has its entire plant structure at all times. It is a plant that belongs to the Cariophilic family in which it is found in a group of herbs and plants that offers an intense flowering in its time.

The Dianthus deltoides It is an upholstery plant that serves to fill the gaps in the garden and in public places. It is a type of creeping plant that reaches up to about 30 centimeters tall. Except that it is done in a potted crop, the most normal thing is that when it reaches these heights it will be pruned to enhance the horizontal development of the plant so that it can fulfill its wallcovering objective.

The growth scheme is very similar to that of the carnation and all its variants. It has a very clustered flowering and grayish-green stems with a very thin diameter. The flowers are quite small in size of only about 2-4 centimeters. All of them are born in small groups although they can also do it alone. Depending on the variety of commercial hybrids, we can find many colors of Dianthus deltoides in the markets. The most common and used are the pink ones, although those specimens are also found quite frequently with intense red, white, purple colors and some mixture of them.

Uses of Dianthus deltoides

The carnation is a very useful plant in rockery, rugs or ornamental mantles among shrub species or certain larger trees such as palm trees. Depending on the work we are doing, we can make this plant have a somewhat more horizontal development and serve as a wallcovering species or we will keep it with a more vertical growth to be able to group it together with another group of flowers.

Cultivation of Dianthus deltoides

carnation flower

We are going to see what are the main requirements that are needed to be able to have the carnation in your home. The first of all is to take into account the light and the weather. The amount of light is essential for the development of the plant. It is a plant that needs a lot of light. It is only the summer time when the sun is very powerful can cause it to receive some type of damage. However, it should normally be placed in a sunny place. If we live in an area with a tense summer we can look for areas with alternating semi-shade, particularly better with daylight and shade from the afternoon. The incidence of light on this plant is very important to guarantee its flowering.

Regarding the weather, the carnation and a fairly wide temperature range and is moderately resistant to frost even if they reach temperature values ​​of -3 degrees. The soil to be able to sow it must be a looser, limestone-type soil with an alkaline pH. The original habitat of the Dianthus deltoides has a significant presence of sand, so here we must also provide enough sand so that the soil drainage is adequate.

The degree of humidity should not be neglected, so it is advisable to use a good layer of organic matter in the first centimeters of the soil in order to retain a greater amount of moisture.

Maintenance and multiplication

dianthus deltoid

To keep well for Dianthus deltoides we need to give it a light moisture veil constantly. It depends on the location of our garden, the amount of irrigation to contribute will be different. Being a perfect species to be upholstery, it is better to look sprinkler drippers or even oozing irrigation. Water can be applied 3-4 times a week during spring and summer or early fall. During winter irrigation is reduced to 1-2 per week depending on rainfall and temperatures.

As for the subscriber, the months in which this plant produces the new stems are essential to pay, as well as during the flowering season. If we have not been generous with the contribution of organic matter or they are already being consumed, it is better to add a good subscriber contribution.

The carnation has various types of multiplication, both by seeds and by cuttings. It is a plant that can be bought in nurseries and is quite cheap, perfect for people with little patience or less expert in the world of gardening. Its germination can be done throughout the year, if we live in a mild climate. It germinates quite quickly in just 1-2 weeks and has a very vigorous growth.

Pruning

Depending on the intention we have with this plant, we must do one type of pruning or another. For example, if we want it to be an upholstery plant or a pot. If we want it in a pot, we must establish a way of pruning so that its growth is more vertical.. On the contrary, if it is to be a cover plant, the pruning must be focused on horizontal growth. The time to prune is at the end of flowering.

We remove all withered flowers and stems that have dried up. If we are looking for a horizontal development, we must be more generous with the cuts. They can also be designed formed with grouping of the plant such as in the shape of a circle and undulations. You just have to cut off the withered flowers and the stems that have dried up. It is also advisable to lower your height somewhat at the beginning of spring and autumn. Thus, we will have a plant with a greater number of stems.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Dianthus deltoides and their characteristics.

Dianthus deltoides: characteristics, care and maintenance

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