Dianthus Jolt 'Pink'

Bright pink petals mass on strong, upright stems. Get your garden ready for some electrifying colour! The Dianthus ‘Jolt Series’ is fantastically robust, copes well in the heat and easily delivers six months or more of flowers. They are well branched, upright plants and virtually maintenance free. The abundant bright blooms are even top notch for picking and last an age in the vase.

These perennial Sweet Williams are a quantum leap in breeding. We would go so far as to say they were super powered! They offer masses of flowers for an incredibly long period and are exceptionally strong and vigorous, as well as being the most heat tolerant variety we have seen.

They look sensational in beds, along pathways, underneath roses and are compact enough for containers. What’s more, the flowers are a magnet for beneficial insects. We use them freely at our annual KaBloom Festival of Flowers where they dazzle each year.

Dianthus ‘Jolt Series’ grows best in moderately fertile to humus rich, well drained soil. They thrive in full sun, though, though in warmer climates it is a good idea to protect them from the hot afternoon rays. Water in well, then once established they are dry tolerant. I planted some in my garden (in the Dandenong Ranges) four years ago and they have flowered continuously since, it is phenomenal. They are hardy to -5C but should be protected or treated as annuals if you dip to -18C and it is probably more ideal to plant them in spring.

Regular cutting of flowers promotes healthy growth and perennial propensities. You can add some fertiliser during the flowering season to get the best blooms. Cut back to half in autumn, after the flowering has finished OR if they are easily accessible it is simple to cut the flowering stem back after it finishes, another will soon replace it.

These are interspecific hybrids and don’t set seed so the flower show keeps on going.