Cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins'

Questions about cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins'

Does cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' need sun or shade?

Cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' 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 cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to early July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

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 cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' be planted?

12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' plants do I need?

At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).

In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.

Is cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' 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 cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins'?

These come closest to doing what cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Common thyme: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; lavender, not white.
• Wall germander: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late June to early August, pink, not white.
• Sea thrift: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in shorter, flowers early May to mid June.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins'?

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 cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins'?

Cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' is over by early July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
• Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.

What does cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' look like in winter?

Cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' 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 cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' good for bees and butterflies?

Cottage pinks 'Mrs Sinkins' is visited by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.