In Search of a Yellow Carnation

Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin yellow'

Dianthus 'Key Lime pie'

     When one thinks of Carnations, the colors of pink, mauve purples, and whites often comes to mind drawing romantic notations and memories of when chivalry was once still alive. One color that is seen as foreign in the genus Dianthus is yellow. After all who has seen a yellow carnation? Well, they do exist, though few and far between. This yellow coloration can be traced back to one species Dianthus knappii. A small flowering member who is not often found in the garden, to much shame, its genetics have been used in breeding work to introduce the color yellow to whole  new generation of cultivars. Two such cultivars reside in the sun city garden, those being Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin yellow ' and Dianthus 'Key lime pie'. Two excellent unusual carnations to add to any xeric border.
   Dianthus caryophyllus 'Grenadin yellow' is a seed grown strain, that gives rise to strong plants, uniformed in habit. Speaking of habit, the growth of this plant is characteristic of its use in the floral industry. Unlike many other carnations who grow as flat mats, such as in the alpine varieties, florist carnations are more upright and lose in habit often needing support to remain upright. So far my own specimen has remained upright without sprawling. This sprawling habit need not be a downfall but an advantage. Pair your florist carnations with small grasses or other see-through but sturdy plans, such as Verbena bonarinansis, so as to create a more relaxed natural haze, indicative of prairie plantings. Early summer is the start of the blooming season, with long stalks carrying small pale lemon yellow flowers above glaucous leaves. Pick the flowers and make your own arrangements for the house. If you draw your nose in close you get a soft clove scent. The flowers aren't large but good for small posies. When flowering is done, like with most other carnations, trace the stem back down to a pair of leaves and cut to create a nice clean look. Easy to grow from seed and readily available, this yellow carnation is a good way to jump into the world of florist carnations.
  The other carnation, Dianthus 'Key Lime pie', is similar in constitution to the first but has a much more muscular build. Much like Grenadin yellow, it holds its blooms on wispy stems that hover above the glaucous leaves, creating a look of whimsy. I don't know if it is somehow linked to the yellow coloration but the scent requires one to closely inspect the flower to get any whiffs of it. The flowers are much larger the former and so is its leaves. That is not to say that the plant looks like it has been hitting the gym for it still carries with it some grace. In my own garden, I have as part some edge planting in rather dry hard soil and it hasn't suffered one bit. In the coming years, I hope that spills out a bit into the walkway, although it is a bit bushier than mat like in comparison to some of the alpine types. Again this plant makes itself good in being an excellent flower for your indoor cut flower arrangements, with its blooms having an apple green eye in the middle. One thing to note is that this cultivar and in fact several other members of the scent first series have a habit of forming platelets on the flowering stalks. These plant lets can beck off and treated as a cutting for propagation.
   Yellow carnations make unique additions to the garden for they not only bring a rare color to their family but are of a build that can take tough conditions, a trait rare for many florist type flowers. Although Dianthus knappii is undergrown it is well worth looking for. I myself I'm planning on finding some seed and growing it at the edge of a iris clump. Watch this space