How to successfully grow poet’s carnations? – Elle Decoration

Like a painter’s palette, the Poet’s eyelets come in a multitude of bright and vibrant colors. These long-lasting and delicately scented flowers bloom generously all summer, from June to September. Sown or planted, ELLE.fr brings you all the advice for successfully growing carnations of the poets.

L’Å“illet de poète, une vivace éphémère à adopter

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Poet’s eyelets (Dianthus bearded) guarantee a long flowering from June to the end of September. Perennial plants in regions with a mild climate, they are cultivated as biennials in most regions with cold winters (resistant down to -10°C). These carnations produce medium-sized stems with single or double flowers dressed in fringed petals tinted with luminous colors. Red, pink, purple, garnet, white, purple, the color panel is very wide ranging from plain to two-tone. Another advantage of these carnations is their the parfum is subtle and invitingsweet blend of sugar and spice. They have the advantage of enjoying themselves equally well in a pot that in open ground. Dare to create a flower border in the vegetable garden to attract pollinators who will visit your vegetables. Formerly grandmothers’ garden plants, poet’s carnations also have their place in a flower garden. Combine some Damascus Nigella, Stachys and delphiniums in a rural massif.

When to cultivate poet’s carnations?

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You can sow your poet’s carnations between February and July. Proceed under cover from February to May, then outside from June to July. In a pot or box filled with special sowing soil:

• draw rows 1 cm deep and place seeds there;
• cover then pack lightly with the palm of your hand;
• finish by watering;
• keep the soil always fresh;
• When the young plants are about 10 to 15 cm high, transplant them into larger containers or directly outside. Don’t be surprised if flowering doesn’t occur until the following year.

If you are not sowing, you will find pots sold in garden centers from April. You will just have to wait mid-April in the South and mid-May everywhere else to plant them in their final place :

• choose a location in the sun or partial shade, in enriched and drained soil;
• leave between 20 and 30 cm between each foot so that they can flourish;
• you can put a little straw or flax straw at the base to limit watering, knowing that the carnations of poets do not require much water to develop well. Only water during a heatwave period can be added.

Maintenance remains simple. You will only have to cut off wilted flowers to relaunch new inflorescences. Keep some wilted flowers because they contain seeds that you can store. Left where they are, they will reseed to form pretty, dense clumps. Once flowering is finished, cut the entire stump 10 cm from the ground and mulch for the cold season.

 The poet’s carnation, an ally for biodiversity

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Don’t hesitate to sow or plant a few plants of poet’s carnation in the vegetable garden. Form borders that will bring color, scent and nectar for the pollinating insects. Very honey-producing, the single or double flowers are highly coveted by bees, butterflies, bumblebees and others who come to stock up. These plants are also popular with beekeepers who cultivate them near hives because the longevity of flowering is appreciated by foragers.

The poet’s carnation, long flowering in a vase

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Indeed, the poet’s carnation is one of the cut flowers which have excellent vase hold, while offering bouquets with bucolic charm. The flat or rounded inflorescences bring volume to a summer bouquet which will last between two and three weeks. Some tips to follow to keep a bouquet longer:

• change the water every two days by cutting half a centimeter of stem;
• remove any leaves that may be soaking in the water as they risk corrupting the quality of the water;
• take the opportunity to change the water (at room temperature);
• add a small dose of bouquet preservative to prolong its flowering;
• place the bouquet away from a source of heat, direct sunlight and drafts;
• Keep the bouquet away from a bowl of fruit because the ethylene released may cause it to wilt quickly.