Dianthus hybridus
We love everything about this flower.
Rainbow Loveliness has beautiful, ethereal blossoms of pink, lavender, red/carmine and white that seem to float in the air. The deeply fringed blooms are long-lasting, and the plants flower all summer.
And the fragrance! How to describe it. The fragrance of Rainbow Loveliness is a deep, rich floral perfume – similar to sweet peas and jasmine. Rainbow Loveliness is intoxicating – it is uplifting, and at the same time, grounding.
And Rainbow Loveliness is easy to start from seed. It will flower in its first year from seed, if sown early indoors (the beginning of March or earlier). If you miss that window, plant it anyway and you will be rewarded with early (intoxicating) blooms the next year.
Plants are about 12 inches tall and low maintenance. Rainbow Loveliness is a short-lived Perennial in Zones 3 and up.
A bit more (or skip to ‘How to Plant’ below):
Rainbow Loveliness is an heirloom Garden Pink created by Montagu Allwood (England) in the 1920s. As Rand Lee described in the 1996 edition of Rock Garden Quarterly, Rainbow Loveliness is a unique masterpiece:
“‘Dianthus x Loveliness’ (syn. ‘Rainbow Loveliness’) is a complex, open-pollinated D. Superbus hybrid that illustrates not only the wonders hidden in dianthus DNA, but also the folly of imagining one can tell at a glance whether something is a pink or a carnation. ‘Loveliness’ yields plants that are larger, more colourful, and longer-blooming than D. Superbus, and the flowers are very nearly as fragrant. It springs (hold onto your hats) from a cross between a white-flowering superb pink and the sweet Wivelsfield. The sweet Wivelsfield, first raised by the United Kingdom’s Montagu Allwood in 1920s, is itself a secondary hybrid of a perpetual-flowering, Allwood pink and a Sweet William. The Allwood pinks (D. x allwoodii) arose from the blood of an old fringed white garden pink and a perpetual-flowering carnation. It is very likely that the perpetual-flowering carnations are the product of experiments with the carnation and the scentless China pink.”
“So, D. x ‘Loveliness’ is sort of a dianthus United Nations, a wunderkind born of D. superbus, D. barbatus, D. plumarius, D. caryophyllus, and D. chinensis.”
With his two brothers, Montagu Allwood founded Allwoods nursery in 1910 (Sussex. England). The nursery is still in business today and still sells Rainbow Loveliness. They write:
“One of our best sellers, the feathery flowers with their heady perfume is unrivalled by any other kind of pink. Developed by us in the 1920’s. Dianthus Rainbow Loveliness flowers throughout the summer in pastel shades of pink, lavender & White. Hardy perennial. Why not create the perfect scented garden or alternatively grow in tubs or the garden border.”
We are so glad we crossed paths with Rainbow Loveliness, it has transformed our garden experience!
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How to Plant: Start indoors beginning of March or earlier for first year flowers. Press small seeds into soil and barely cover with soil. Keep soil moistened and place container in a warm place. A heat mat helps to keep soil warm. Once seedlings are up, place under lights/in a sunny place. Transplant outside after danger of frost is passed.
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Location: Sun, Partial sun
Life cycle: Short-lived Perennial Zone 3 and up (or grow as an Annual)
Height: 12 inches
Container Friendly
