Growing Pinks

Although Pinks have not reached the standard of perfection of Border Carnations or Perpetual Carnations they never the less posses a special charm of their own. The grower of a modern hybrid Pinks will be rewarded with a wealth of colour and fragrance throughout the Summer months for a little care and attention that is required to grow them successfully. Many older varieties of Pinks including are still available and whilst they flower profusely for four to six weeks during June and July they do not posses the perpetual flowering qualities of their modern counterparts. They are however still worth growing particularly for garden decoration. The ideal conditions for growing Pinks is in a free draining soil which is slightly on the acid side of neutral but they will perform remarkably well in almost any garden soil provided there is adequate drainage and they do not become waterlogged during the Winter months. The drainage of heavy soils can be greatly improved by the addition of sharp sand and grit, and if necessary the Pinks bed can be raised above the level of the surrounding garden. A light dressing of garden lime should be given to the Pinks bed in Autumn and a top dressing of a balanced fertiliser such as Growmore in the Spring. During the Summer the plants should never be allowed to dry out and they will also benefit from a fortnightly feed of a balanced fertiliser. A constant lookout should be kept for any infestation of Aphids or any other pests and the plants should be treated with a pesticide, preferably a systemic one. For exhibition purposes Pinks are usually grown one to a two litre pot in a porous compost. They are allowed to flower under cover to protect the blooms from adverse weather conditions. Stock of Pinks can be increased at any time of the year, by taking cuttings three to four inches long from non flowering shoots. The end of the cutting is dipped into rooting hormone powder before being inserted half an inch deep into a rooting medium, such as J.I.No1. the cuttings should be kept out of direct sunlight, kept moist by the spraying of water over the foliage. After four to six weeks the cuttings should be sufficiently rooted for them to be potted on into three inch pots ( nine centimetre )