Maiden pinks

Questions about maiden pinks

Does maiden pinks need sun or shade?

Maiden pinks 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 maiden pinks 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 maiden pinks flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to mid 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 maiden pinks 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 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many maiden pinks 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 threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.

In the bed above, the planner used 13 in three groups.

Is maiden pinks 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 maiden pinks?

These come closest to doing what maiden pinks does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Creeping thyme: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 5 in shorter.
• Three-toothed cinquefoil: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not pink.
• Rock cress: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid April to early May, not evergreen.

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

Do deer eat maiden pinks?

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.

Will maiden pinks spread?

It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Self-seeds freely. Remove the spent flowers to limit seedlings.

What flowers after maiden pinks?

Maiden pinks is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall.
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall.

What does maiden pinks look like in winter?

Maiden pinks keeps its dark 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 maiden pinks good for bees and butterflies?

Maiden pinks is visited by butterflies.