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Botanical name: Dianthus ‘Neon Star’
A clove scented, heat and drought tolerant series that features brightly colored frilly blooms, rising above tidy blue-green mounds of grass-like foliage; blooming from late spring throughout the summer, great for borders, containers or rock gardens.
Other names: Border Pinks, Cheddar Pinks
| Hardiness zone | 2b |
|---|---|
| Flower color | hot pink |
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | mounded |
| Mature height | 6 inches (8 inches with the flowers) |
| Spread | 12 inches |
| Light requirements | full sun |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | hybrid |
Neon Star Pinks is blanketed in stunning fragrant hot pink frilly flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive narrow leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the year. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Neon Star Pinks is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a mounded form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Neon Star Pinks is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Mass Planting, Rock/Alpine Gardens, Border Edging, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Neon Star Pinks will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 8 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Neon Star Pinks is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
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