Please ensure that your plants are given a light watering before planting out.

They love to be planted in a sunny spot in free draining neutral or alkaline soil. Dianthus can also be grown in pots and raised beds, which is ideal if you have heavy clay or acid soil.

Dianthus are very hardy plants that can tolerate temperatures down to -20c. However, they must avoid wet winter soil as this may cause their roots to rot away. To an extent, they are drought tolerant plants but to maximise flowering they do need watering and feeding regularly.

We recommend that you feed with a high potash plant food regularly after your Dianthus has had their first flush of flowers. This will provide your plants with extra energy to help produce continuous flower stems.

To create strong bushy plants, remove early flower stems towards the base of your young plants, then continue to remove spent stems throughout the season. This will also help to extend their flowering period.

In Autumn, tidy established plants by removing any straggly stems. Do not cut them hard back. In winter plants can develop purple mottling on some foliage. This does not harm the plant.