Fringed pink
Dianthus superbus · Caryophyllaceae
Lilac-pink flowers cut into fine threads, like scraps of lace, on tall, lax stems. Their scent is sweet and carries on the evening air.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late June to late August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Weaver
A bed built around fringed pink
The planner designed this bed around fringed 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 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why fringed pink stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Fringed pink × 5, pink
- 2 Sea thrift × 11, white
- 3 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 20, pink
- 4 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 5 Prairie blazing star × 4, purple
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only airy sprays. The others are globes, dense clusters, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for blue oat grass. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- In the middle. At 20 in it is the step between sea thrift (8 in) in front and prairie blazing star (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 5 plants in 5 places. An accent is a punctuation mark: the repeat along the bed gives it rhythm.
- Beside blue oat grass. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From late June to late August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With sedum 'Lidakense', wild quinine and prairie blazing star in late August: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a cottage garden: 37 of the 46 plants (80%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. White runs through the planting: 3 of the 8 kinds grown for their flowers have it. Sedum 'Lidakense' is the plant there is most of: 20 of the 70.
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 fringed pink goes in a border
At 20 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.
The most delicate of the pinks, and unlike the others it takes part shade and ordinary soil. Short-lived, but it seeds itself gently among neighbours that hold it up.
- Scent on summer evenings
- Cottage gardens
- Weaving through low plants
What to plant with fringed pink
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for two weeks, from late June.
- Carpathian bellflower: in flower together for nine weeks, from late June; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
- Blue oat grass: in flower together for two weeks, from late June.
Questions about fringed pink
Does fringed pink need sun or shade?
Fringed pink grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does fringed pink grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °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 fringed pink flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Early July to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early July to late August |
| Zone 5 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Late June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Late June to mid 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 fringed pink be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many fringed pink plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 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 five in five groups.
Is fringed 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 fringed pink?
These come closest to doing what fringed pink does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Blue flax: the same job in a bed and the same size; belongs at the front, not in the middle, flowers mid May to mid July.
- Balloon flower: the same flowering time and the same colour; a drift, not a weaver, 4 in taller.
- Mexican hat: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in taller, 4 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 fringed pink?
Fringed pink is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
What does fringed pink look like in winter?
Fringed pink dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Dianthus
- Carthusian pink Dianthus carthusianorum
- 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'
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 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
- Late June to late August; airy sprays; pink, lavender, white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- 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.