Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'
Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink' · Caryophyllaceae
A wide, dense mat of narrow, blue-grey leaves, covered in late spring with fringed, soft pink flowers that smell of cloves.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid May to late June
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'
The planner designed this bed around Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border 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 Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' × 8, pink
- 2 October daphne × 9, pink
- 3 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Meadow sage × 3, purple
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are dense clusters, flat plates, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
- Fine leaf against bold. Wild quinine is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From mid May to late June.
- Fills a gap. For two 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 an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. In winter there are still Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' and dwarf English boxwood to look at. Dwarf English boxwood is grown for its leaves rather than its flowers.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 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 Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The most heat- and humidity-tolerant of the pinks, and the one to grow in the South. The blue mat is good all year as an edging or to spill over a wall.
- Evergreen blue edging
- Spilling over walls
- Scent beside a path
What to plant with Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lamb's ear: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Bearded iris: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'
Does Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' need sun or shade?
Cheddar pinks 'Bath's 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. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Cheddar pinks 'Bath's 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 Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 5 | Mid May to late June |
| Zone 6 | Early May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid June |
| Zone 8 | Late April to mid June |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to early June |
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 Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is Cheddar pinks 'Bath's 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 NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'?
These come closest to doing what Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Rock soapwort: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; not evergreen.
- Snow-in-summer: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not pink.
- Yellow ice plant: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 8 in shorter, yellow, not pink.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink'?
Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': from late June to late July, 18 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
What does Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' look like in winter?
Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' keeps its blue-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.
Is Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' good for bees and butterflies?
Cheddar pinks 'Bath's Pink' is visited by bees, butterflies and moths.
More Dianthus
- Carthusian pink Dianthus carthusianorum
- 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
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to late June; open bowls; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; blue-green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Comes from
- Great Britain to Ukraine
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies, moths
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, humidity, salt
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.