Dianthus ID please

[Knud]

Hello,
Is there anyone who can help me ID this Dianthus. I do not remember where I got it, but it came with a lable Dianthus "Pumilchen", and it is a very beautiful plant. The name would indicate a German background, "-chen" being a diminutive, here a diminutive of "pumila", I guess. However, it is not as small as the name would suggest, compare the leaves on the left belonging to Iris lacustris, and to the Draba in front. The plant in the picture is 5-7 years old, and has been in its present place for 5 years this summer. Is this a named form of a species, or is it a hybrid? What species might it be, or be a hybrid of?

Thank you in advance,
Knud

[Lesley Cox]

I would suggest a hybrid but woudn't want to commit myself, as to parents.

[ThomasB]

Hi Knud,

try searching for "Pummelchen" which is a German diminutive for a plump person.
I found a pic here under Dianthus gratianopolitanus "Pummelchen".

Kind regards
Thomas

[Knud]

Thank you Thomas and Lesley for your swift responses. Thomas, I think you hit it spot on, the picture on the site you refer to could have been taken in my rock garden, definitely the right one. Well, my German vocabulary has increased by two - pummelig and its diminutive Pummelchen -, nice words which grace a beautiful plant. Thank you!

Dianthuses do well in our climate, and even after two of the wettest winters in recent decades (that's very wet here) followed by last winter which was one of the coldest on record (that's not very cold here) the dianthuses were as nice as ever. This winter has been even colder than last year's, so it will be interesting to see how they turn out this spring - just fine I suspect.

I have included pictures of two species we have in the garden, a D. alpinus "alba" grown from seed (here with an Anacyclys depressus), and a D. microlepis which I got in Czechia during the Alpine conference in 2007. About the last one, it is a treasure, and it blooms like this each year. After blooming last year some birds had been at it, and I despaired as I have only this one. Well, I needn't have, the bird did a good job of taking cuttings, so now I have five. I would not have dared do that myself, isn't there a saying about having the neighbour prune your trees?

Knud

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Beautiful Knud, just beautiful !

[Maggi Young]

Well, my German vocabulary has increased by two - pummelig and its diminutive Pummelchen

Super plants, Knud  ......but...... Ian's German vocabulary has increased by two words also... and he seems to think they both suit me!  

fter blooming last year some birds had been at it, and I despaired as I have only this one. Well, I needn't have, the bird did a good job of taking cuttings, so now I have five. I would not have dared do that myself, isn't there a saying about having the neighbour prune your trees?

A good result.... I know there are Scottish growers who can get D. microlepis to a certain size and no further... then they are forced to take cuttings... your way with the birds may prove a winner. It will be interested to see how big the plants will get in your garden.... they obviously like it there.

[Knud]

Thank you, Luc and Maggi for kind remarks, they are beautiful plants. The Anacyclus is one of my favourites, but it is shortlived here (probably the wet), and only once have I had one self-sow. And Maggi, you tell Ian.....! As Barbara's mother tongue is German I had decided to use these new acquisitions with caution, nice though they are.

Interesting about the D. microlepis, I will report back if stagnation occurs. The D. alpinus does deteriorate after some years, and I have had to keep it going by taking cuttings.  It's about 12 years since I sowed the original plant, and I think the current plant is third generation cutting.  I am concerned about this winter for some of the Dianthuses as we had six weeks of dry cold and no snow - tougher on these evergreens than 100 days of rain, I think. Well, I haven't tested them in 100 days of rain, but we did 80 three years ago.

Knud

[Lesley Cox]

Dianthus alpinus generally sets some seed and in my experience, red, pink and white forms all come true to colour from seed.

[Knud]

Lesley,
Sad and very disturbing news and images from your country today, I hope things will go as well as they possibly can. At this distance it is somehow reassuring to read about, and see footage of, well organised and efficient rescue operations.

Thank you for the advice on seeding D. alpinus. It does not bloom profusely, and only a few blooms seem to set seeds. I tend to strew them near the plant, but have never seen any seedlings. This year I will try and collect, and sow them in a "controlled" manner. We have quite a few dianthus species in the garden, and few of them set seed in any amount. Could it be that there is only one plant of each species?

Knud

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Knud. Yes, it's all very frightening for the people of Christchurch. Sadly, they are getting much experience of organising such rescue and clean up operations. I sometimes think of the appalling situation in Haiti, where after more than a year, people are still living in tents and only 10% of the earthquake rubble has been cleared away. We will be much better but one doen't get used to living with earthquakes.

In my experience, D. alpinus likes a compost which holds more moisture than for other species and hybrids. It even likes a little peat or fine-crushed pine bark in its mixture. Perhaps the green rather than greyish foliage is an indication of this.