Cheddar pink

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help in hot summers, but too much shade reduces flowering.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then only during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently damp soil, especially in winter.

Soil

Well-drained, gritty or sandy soil, preferably neutral to alkaline. Tolerates chalk and relatively poor soil; struggles in wet clay.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m), including flower stems

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; fragrant pink flowers with toothed or lightly fringed petals. Some selections repeat lightly after deadheading.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, blue-grey to grey-green leaves form dense, low cushions.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a sunny position with excellent drainage.
• Water new plants when the root zone starts to dry; let established plants dry between waterings.
• Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak; rich feeding produces soft, floppy growth.
• Use a thin gravel mulch rather than bark or compost against the crown.
• Divide or replace ageing clumps when their centres become bare, usually after several years.

Pruning. Remove spent flower stems after the main flowering flush, then lightly trim straggly leafy shoots to keep a compact cushion. Do not cut deeply into bare, woody centres.

Early spring

Remove dead foliage and check that winter debris has not buried the crowns.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps once the soil is workable, using a gritty, freely draining site.

Late spring

Water establishing plants during dry weather without keeping the crown constantly wet.

Early summer

Cut off spent flower stems after the main display and lightly tidy the cushions.

Summer

Take cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots to replace ageing plants.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the cushions and improve drainage wherever water collects.

• Edge sunny paths with low blue-grey cushions and fragrant flowers close to passing feet.
• Plant in rock gardens or crevices above low retaining walls, allowing the foliage to soften stone edges.
• Repeat small groups through gravel gardens with thyme and dwarf lavender for contrasting leaf textures.
• Use in shallow containers with drainage holes and gritty compost for a compact patio display.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Dry gravel garden, Alpine rock garden, Sensory garden, Cotswold cottage and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Creeping thyme, Dwarf lavender, Rock rose, Candytuft, Moss phlox and Low-growing stonecrop.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for butterflies and other pollinating insects. The low cushions offer some shelter for small garden invertebrates.

• Crown or root rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch away from the crown and replace badly rotted plants.
• Bare, woody centres in old clumps: take healthy cuttings or divide vigorous outer sections to renew the planting.
• Rust, showing orange-brown pustules on leaves: remove affected foliage, improve airflow and avoid wetting the leaves.
• Slugs and snails damaging young shoots: check plants at dusk, remove pests and use iron-phosphate bait according to its label if needed.

Like other garden pinks, it is considered mildly toxic to cats and dogs if eaten; foliage, stems and flowers may cause stomach upset, and contact can cause skin irritation. In people, ingestion may cause mild stomach upset and sap may irritate sensitive skin. Toxicity to horses is not well established; do not use it as forage.

• Cottage pink (Dianthus plumarius)

  Usually has more deeply cut, feathery petal edges and a looser habit; Cheddar pink generally makes tighter blue-grey cushions with less deeply fringed petals. Garden hybrids can be difficult to distinguish.

• Maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides)

  Usually has greener foliage, a looser spreading habit and smaller flowers, often marked with pale spots and a darker ring near the centre.

Cheddar pink is named for its occurrence at Cheddar Gorge in England, while gratianopolitanus refers to Gratianopolis, the Latin name for Grenoble in France.

Propagation. Take non-flowering shoot cuttings in summer or divide healthy clumps in spring. The species can also be raised from seed, but named cultivars may not come true from seed.

Accepted botanical name

Dianthus gratianopolitanus

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada.

Native range

Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Measured

Average height 16 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.