Sweet William
Dianthus barbatus. CARYOPHYLLACEAE.
Planting and Growing Sweet William
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow sweet William in the accompanying table’s tabs:
-
-
- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of sweet William
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for sweet William
- Season of bloom and planting time for sweet William
- When, how deep, and where to plant sweet William
- How to plant sweet William
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of sweet William
- Landscape and container uses of sweet William
- Comments about sweet William and its features
-
Growing Sweet William
Many cultivars of upright, bushy biennial herbs, 1–2 ft. (30–60 cm) tall. Shiny, green, lance-shaped, narrow leaves, 1–2-1/2-in. (25–63-mm) long.
Common cultivars include Dianthus barbatus ‘Albus’, ‘Hollandia’, ‘Nana’, and ‘Rondo’.
See also Pink, Dianthus chinensis, a closely related annual. Two other closely related perennial plants are Carnation, Dianthus caryophyllus, and Cottage Pink, Dianthus X allwoodii. All three relatives have similar care needs.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many tiny, pink, purple, red, white, bicolored, saucer-shaped, sometimes fragrant flowers, to 1/3-in. (8-mm) wide, with bearded petals, form dense clusters, in summer–early autumn.
Best Climates
Ground hardy, zones 5–10. Self-seeding.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich. 7.0–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Late spring in filtered sun to partial shade, 1–3 ft. (30–90 cm) apart. Sow seed for flowers the following season or plant nursery containers.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; allow soil surface to dry between waterings. Fertilize monthly; apply diluted garden lime quarterly. Propagate by seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for beds, borders, containers, massed plantings in cottage, heritage, shade gardens. Good for cutting. Spider mite and rust, mosaic virus, fusarium wilt susceptible.