Carthusian pink
Dianthus carthusianorum · Caryophyllaceae
Small clusters of vivid magenta flowers on thin, bare stems as tall as a knee, rising from a tuft of grassy leaves.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 10 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid June to late August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Weaver
A bed built around carthusian pink
The planner designed this bed around carthusian pink when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why carthusian pink stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Carthusian pink × 4, pink
- 2 Cottage pinks × 11, white
- 3 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 6, white
- 4 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Little bluestem × 5, blue-green leaves
- 6 Leadplant × 1, purple
- 7 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
- 8 Pink lily leek × 12, pink
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are daisies, flat plates, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between cottage pinks (12 in) in front and leadplant (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to leadplant (2½ ft) and stiff goldenrod (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 4 plants in 4 places. An accent is a punctuation mark: the repeat along the bed gives it rhythm.
Why now
- In flower for 11 weeks. From mid June to late August.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as a cottage garden: 30 of the 30 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Carthusian pink repeats along the bed to tie it together. The scheme leans cool (pink and purple) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where carthusian pink goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: weaver. A light, airy plant threaded singly between sturdier ones to knit the planting together.
A see-through plant, much used by Piet Oudolf to dot bright points of colour among low grasses. It takes up almost no room and seeds itself lightly in gravel.
- Dotting through low grasses
- Gravel gardens and dry meadows
- Butterflies
What to plant with carthusian pink
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Prairie dropseed: in flower together for two weeks, from mid August; happy in the same dry soil.
- Calamint: in flower together for seven weeks, from mid July.
Questions about carthusian pink
Does carthusian pink need sun or shade?
Carthusian pink grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does carthusian pink grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does carthusian pink flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late June to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 5 | Mid June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Mid June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Early June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Early June to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Late May to early August |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should carthusian pink be planted?
8 in (20 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 10 in (25 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many carthusian pink plants do I need?
At 8 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 27 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 16 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 86 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, threaded between sturdier plants.
In the bed above, the planner used four in four groups.
Is carthusian pink poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. May cause mild stomach upset if eaten. Handling the plant can irritate skin.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like carthusian pink?
These come closest to doing what carthusian pink does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Mexican hat: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 6 in wider, red or yellow, not pink.
- Gaura 'Siskiyou Pink': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in taller, 16 in wider.
- Rose campion: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in taller, 10 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after carthusian pink?
Carthusian pink is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Prairie dropseed: from mid August to mid September, 2½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
What does carthusian pink look like in winter?
Carthusian pink keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Dianthus
- Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink'
- Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Firewitch'
- Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Tiny Rubies'
- Cottage pinks Dianthus plumarius
- Cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' Dianthus plumarius 'Mrs Sinkins'
- Dianthus 'Kahori' Dianthus 'Kahori'
- Fringed pink Dianthus superbus
- Maiden pinks Dianthus deltoides
- Sweet William Dianthus barbatus
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 10 in (25 cm) wide
- Plant
- 8 in (20 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Mid June to late August; dense clusters; pink, red
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Upright, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.